DUKE 

UNIVERSITY 


LIBRARY 


Digitized  by  the  Internet  Archive 
in  2015 


https://archive.org/details/davidlivingstone01bric 


DAVID  LIVINGSTONE. 


DAVID 

\i 

LIVINGSTONE 

HIS  LABOURS  AND 
HIS  LEGACY 


BY 

A.  MONTEFIOR E-BRICE,  F.R.G.S., 

AUTHOR  OF  “ HENRY  M.  STANLEY,  THE 
AFRICAN  EXPLORER,"  ETC. 

'A-  PiBUur  ) d\y\>^  '!4-out(AW\  Vo  vf 


FULLY  ILLUSTRATED 


UNITED  BRETHREN  PUBLISHING  HOUSE 
DAYTON,  OHIO 

W.  R.  FUNK,  Agent 


1 

\ 


TYPES  or  AFRICAN  RACES. 


PREFACE. 

— ♦ — 

“ By  slow  prudence  to  make  mild 
A rugged  people,  and  through  soft  degrees 
Subdue  them  to  the  useful  and  the  good.” 

Tennyson. 

WITHIN  the  compass  of  a few  pages  I have 
endeavoured  to  enclose  a great  life.  As  a 
natural  consequence,  I have  only  been  able  to  record 
the  main  events  of  David  Livingstone’s  unparalleled 
career.  So  much  of  that  career  has  been,  perforce, 
dismissed  with  a few  words,  that  I have  endeavoured 
to  atone  for  omissions  of  fact  by  throwing  as  con- 
tinuously as  possible  upon  my  record  of  Livingstone’s 
life  the  gleam  of  his  noble  character.  I have  done 
this  in  the  belief  that,  if  aught  is  omitted,  or  set 
down  in  outline  too  rigid  to  suggest  the  glow  of  life, 
it  will  be  atoned  for  by  the  light  reflected  from  his 
elevated  aims,  and  by  the  intense  warmth  of  his 
love  for  Africa  and  the  African. 


PREFACE. 


While  it  has  nothing  to  say  which  is  new  to  the 
student  of  geographical  or  missionary  enterprise  in  the 
Dark  Continent,  this  little  book  may  help  to  tell  to  a 
general  public,  with  scant  time  at  its  disposal,  an  “ old, 
old  story,”  which  surely  can  never  pall.  And,  when 
reading  the  chapters  that  deal  with  the  legacy  which 
Livingstone  has  left  the  world,  every  one  may  feel,  if  he 
choose,  the  pride  of  possession,  and — which  is  far  better 
— be  led  to  assume  the  responsibilities  of  a legatee. 

For  my  information  I have  gone  to  the  fountain-head, 
to  the  writings  of  David  Livingstone  himself.  But,  as  I 
have  drawn  upon  Dr.  Blaikie’s  “ Personal  Life”  of  him 
for  some  remarks  and  passages  in  private  letters,  which 
explain  his  purpose  and  illustrate  his  personal  piety 
in  no  common  degree,  I desire  to  acknowledge  my 
indebtedness  to  that  work.  For  present  purposes, 
however,  I have  preferred  the  public  labours  of 
Livingstone  to  his  private  life,  as  setting  forth  that 
geographical  environment  in  which  he  toiled  for  more 
than  thirty  years,  and  along  the  paths  of  which  he 
wandered  for  nearly  thirty  thousand  miles — ay, 

“ Thrice  ten  years, 

Thrice  multiplied  by  superhuman  pangs, 

In  hungers  and  thirsts,  fevers  and  cold, 

T a coughs,  aches,  stitches,  ulcerous  throes  and  cramps  ” — 

before  he  passed  over  the  mountains  of  Urungu,  and 
entered  the  valley  of  the  shadow  of  death. 

ARTHUR  MONTEFIORE. 


Bedford  Park,  W 


CHAPTER  I. 


PREPARATION  (1813-40). 

PAG1 

The  civilization  of  Africa — Livingstone — His  birth — Parentage — 

The  young  “ hand  ” — Spinning  cotton— Self-education — His 
natural  bent — His  ambition — Studying  at  Glasgow — London 
Missionary  Society — Livingstone  in  London — A medical 

missionary  ....  II 

CHAPTER  II. 

EARLY  YEARS  IN  AFRICA  (1841-49). 

Arrival  in  Africa — The  Moffats — Kuruman  and  Bechwanaland 
—Livingstone’s  first  post : Mabotsa — Encounter  with  a lion — 

His  marriage — His  second  station  : Chonuane — Sechele — The 
drought — Removal  to  Kolobeng — Trouble  with  the  Boers 
— Daily  life  and  labour — Continued  drought — Retreat  ?-— 
Onward  I .....  . ...  20 


I 

t 


8 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  IIL 

MISSIONARY  TRAVELS  ( 1 849-54). 

FAOB 

Livingstone,  a missionary  though  an  explorer — Into  the  interior — 

The  Kalahari  Desert — A startling  revelation —River  Zouga — 
Lake  Ngami — “Try,  try  again” — The  tse-tse  fly— Linyanti 
and  Sebituane — The  Zambesi — Difficulties — Capetown — A 
farewell — Return  to  Zambesi — Linyanti  to  Loanda . . 31 

CHAPTER  IV. 

ACROSS  AFRICA  (1854-56). 

Sickness  and  recovery — Loanda  and  the  Portuguese — The  slave 
trade — A great  honour — Angola — Marching  eastward — The 
Coango  and  the  Kasai — Native  fiiends — Livingstone  and 
Sekeletu — The  Victoria  Falls — Sowing  the  seed  —A  healthy 
region — Following  the  Zambesi — Quilimane  and  the  Indian 
Ocean — Thankfulness  . . .....  47 


CHAPTER  V. 

HOME  (1856-58). 

A national  welcome — Livingstone’s  first  book — Addresses  and 
speeches — In  “the  Land  o’  Cakes” — At  Windsor — Living- 
stone’s views  on  Africa — His  critics — Commission  from  the 
Government — The  Consul-Missionary  , . ■ . .66 


CHAPTER  VI. 

n»  THE  ZAMBESI  COUNTRY  (1858-60). 

Return  to  Africa — On  the  Zambesi — The  Shire — The  pioneer  of 
peace — Discovery  of  Lake  Nyassa — Livingstone  and  the 
Portuguese — Among  the  Maltololo 76 


CONTENTS. 


9 


CHAPTER  VII. 

NY  ASS  ALAND  ( 1 86 1 -63). 

fas? 

The  Universities  Mission — Work  of  the  expedition— On  the 
Rovuma — Mackenzie  and  the  missionaries — Troubles — History 
and  collapse  of  mission — The  Lake  people — Mrs.  Livingstone  : 
her  death — The  curse  of  slavery — Recall  of  expedition — “The 
beckoning  hand  90 


CHAPTER  VIIL 

INDIA  AND  ENGLAND  (1864-65). 

A remarkable  voyage — Bombay  and  England — Missionary  or 
explorer — The  honorary  consulship — At  Hamilton— Living- 
stone’s commission — A long  farewell  .....  105 

CHAPTER  IX. 

NILE  OR  CONGO?  (1866-71). 

From  Zanzibar  to  Nyassa — Desertion  and  report  of  death — The 
search  expedition — To  Lake  Tanganika — A great  loss — Is  it 
the  Nile,  or  Congo? — Moero  and  Bangweolo — Illness — Ujiji  . 114 


CHAPTER  X. 

THE  LAST  JOURNEY  (1872-73). 

Manyuema  and  the  Lualaba — Illness — The  massacre  of  Nyangwe 
— Retreat  to  Ujiji — “A  ruckle  of  bones” — Stan.ey  to  the 
rescue — Unyanyembe — The  march  to  Bangweolo — Extreme 
weakness — Nearing  the  end — Reaches  Cmcambo’s — The  End 
— Faithful  servants — A nation  in  mourning  . . .126 


(O 


CONTENTS* 


CHAPTER  XI. 

Livingstone’s  legacy. 

rAGH 

“ The  fragrance  of  his  memory  ” — His  personality  and  its  legacy — 
Missions  with  geographical  enterprise — The  suppression  of 
the  slave  trade — History  of  missions  in  Central  Africa — The 
Churches  of  Scotland — Universities  Mission,  London  Mis- 
sionary Society,  etc.  — Geographical  enterprise  : Stanley, 
Thomson,  Arnot,  O’Neill,  etc <141 

CHAPTER  XII. 

Livingstone's  legacy  ( continued). 

“ The  open  sore  of  the  world  ’’—The  history  of  the  Arab  in  Africa 
— Testimony  from  Wissman,  Scott,  Drummond,  Stanley, 
Lavigerie — The  substitution  of  legitimate  commerce  the 
remedy  — Congo  Free  State,  British  East  Africa  Co., 
African  Lakes  Co.,  etc. — The  paralyzing  influence  of  the 
Portuguese—  “ The  prayer  of  a righteous  man”  . , . 151 


VICTIMS  OF  THE  SLAVE  TRADE. 


DAVID  LIVINGSTONE: 

HIS  LABOURS  AND  HIS  LEGACY, . 

CHAPTER  I. 

PREPARATION. 

FOR  a century  and  more  the  world  has  witnessed 
modern  civilization  grappling,  here  with  Oriental 
indolence,  and  there  with  sheer  barbarism,  and  every- 
where grappling  with  success.  In  America,  Australia, 
and  elsewhere,  the  Caucasian  has  achieved  prosperity 
and  content  where  the  red  man  or  the  black  was  but  a 
vagrant  savage.  This  end  has  been  acquired  by  that 
migration  of  peoples  and  introduction  of  peaceful  arts 
which  we  call  colonization,  and  which  is  only  secured 
when  the  climate  renders  European  labour  possible,  and 
when,  owing  to  the  character  of  the  aborigines,  the 
resources  of  the  country  are  undeveloped.  On  the  other 
hand,  in  India  and  the  rich  dependencies  which  environ 
that  unique  peninsula,  where  the  natives  already  pos- 
sessed a certain  civilization,  and  where  the  climate  is 
tropical,  the  dominant  English  have  overturned  throne 


12 


DAVID  LIVINGSTONE. 


after  throne  of  Eastern  splendour — splendour  too  fre- 
quently dimmed  by  Oriental  corruption — and  at  the 
present  time  are  governing  with  security  and  enlightened 
justice  hundreds  of  millions  of  dusky  Asiatics.  And 
this  end  has  been  generally  gained  by  the  exercise  of 
that  impartial  policy  and  rigid  adherence  to  the  duties  of 
power  which  stamp  in  no  common  degree  the  national 
character  of  England,  her  statesmen,  and  the  great 
pro-consuls  of  her  empire.  Unfettered  colonization 
and  just  government  have  successfully  grappled  with 
these  problems  in  the  past.  The  problem  of  the  present 
and  future  is  a greater  one  still.  It  is  nothing  less 
than  the  conversion  of  Africa  to  civilization;  and  it  may 
well  be  doubted  whether  either  of  these  methods— so 
successful  elsewhere — can  prove  effectual  here. 

For  Africa  is  a vast  continent,  unpierced  by  bays  and 
gulfs,  and  throwing  out  no  peninsulas  to  touch  the  outer 
world.  Upon  the  luxuriant  table-land  of  the  interior 
an  enormous  population  dwells — countless  tribes  whom 
it  is  difficult  for  the  adventurous  traveller  to  reach,  and 
still  more  difficult  for  the  commercial  trader  or  the 
herald  of  glad  tidings  of  peace  to  labour  amongst  with- 
out interruption  or  failure.  Remote  from  other  lands, 
other  climates,  other  peoples,  other  manners,  the  in- 
habitants are  fearful,  ignorant,  wayward,  helpless,  and, 
from  what  may  be  called  their  “ continental  insularity,” 
too  often  savagely  suspicious  and  inhospitable. 

For  a generation  and  more  pioneers  have  been  busily 
penetrating  this  Dark  Continent ; opening  up  routes  by 
land  and  water  ; conciliating  powerful  chiefs  ; healing 
the  sick  and  safeguarding  the  strong  ; discovering  huge 
tracts  of  country  of  great  fertility—  sometimes  healthful, 
but  more  often  hurtful  to  the  European ; revealing  and 
navigating  vast  inland  seas,  and  floating  down  great 
rivers  from  the  heart  of  the  continent  to  the  oceans 
on  either  hand  ; exhibiting  the  practical  advantages  of 
civilization  ; and,  last,  though  not  least,  preaching  the 


PREPARATION. 


13 


Gospel  of  brotherly  love.  From  what  these  pioneers 
tell  us,  we  are  forced  to  conclude  that  ignorance  and 
cruelty,  cannibalism  and  slavery,  will  only  be  swept 
away  from  the  long-suffering  African  by  the  slow  but 
sure  methods  of  powerful  and  responsible  commerce — 
such  as  the  further  establishment  and  development  of 
those  commercial  kingdoms  which  have  already  arisen 
in  Africa — and  by  the  prevalence  of  what  must  be  an 
ideal  unguessed  at  by  the  savage  : the  well-clad,  cleanly, 
decent,  active,  prosperous,  unselfish,  and  Christian 
missionary.  None  has  told  us  this  more  plainly,  and 
none  stands  out  more  clearly  from  this  group  of 
pioneers,  than  David  Livingstone,  the  subject  of  this 
memoir. 

As  with  so  many  of  that  assemblage  of  uncrowned 
monarchs,  who  stand  head  and  shoulders  above  us  by 
right  of  their  achievements  or  their  character,  and  whose 
willing  subjects  are  bound  to  them  by  ties  of  admira- 
tion and  love  rather  than  of  loyalty  or  habit,  David 
Livingstone  sprang  from  a humble  race,  and  personally 
knew  in  his  youth  what  it  was  to  go  “ forth  to  his  work 
and  to  his  labour  until  the  evening,”  in  order  to  earn 
his  daily  bread.  Born  on  the  19th  of  March,  1813,  at 
Blantyre,  the  hum  of  the  busy  cotton  factory  was  the 
most  familiar  sound  of  his  early  years.  His  father,  a 
small  tea-dealer,  his  mother  a hard-working  housewife, 
and  neither  with  any  time  to  educate  their  merry  lad, 
it  is  not  surprising  that  David  should  have  reached  the 
age  of  ten  without  giving  any  special  sign  of  future 
greatness,  or  affording  any  reason  to  his  parents  for  not 
gaining  his  living  by  his  hands.  And  so  the  boy  was 
put  to  work  in  this  cotton  factory  as  a “ piecer,”  and 
began  t©  contribute  his  share  to  the  support  of  the 
family. 

A change  in  one’s  life  not  infrequently  brings  new 
possibilities  and  other  hopes  before  us.  This  daily  life 
of  manual  labour  would  seem  to  have  enlarged  the 


14 


DAVID  LIVINGSTONE. 


horizon  of  David’s  outlook,  for  he  has  himself  recorded 
that  with  a portion  of  his  first  week’s  wages  he  purchased 
a Latin  grammar  ! This  he  placed  upon  the  loom  ; and, 
as  he  passed  to  and  fro  at  his  work,  he  would  catch,  now 
a word,  and  now  a sentence  from  its  open  page.  With 
learning  came  the  appetite  tor  learning  ; and  every  even- 
ing, after  the  factory  work  was  done,  the  lad  would  pore 
over  his  books  till  midnight,  and  even  later.  Here  we 
see  the  strength  and  tenacity  of  the  Scottish  character, 
for  he  had  to  be  at  work  in  the  factory  by  six  o'clock 
next  morning,  and  he  did  not  leave  it  before  eighk 
o’clock  at  night.  Fourteen  hours  of  labour,  with  but 
two  intervals  for  meals,  might  well  have  taken  all  the 
strength  and  sapped  all  the  determination  of  a lad  ol 
ten  ; and  it  is,  indeed,  a pleasant  reflection  that  the 
humane  legislation  of  later  years  has  rendered  such  i. 
state  of  things  impossible,  or  at  any  rate  illegal. 

As  the  years  rolled  by,  and  the  lad  became  a youth 
and  approached  the  ven3e  of  manhood,  this  nightly 
toil  of  a general  self-education  became  concentrated  on 
w’orks  of  travel  and  science,  a subject  he  still  further 
pursued  on  rare  holidays  by  exploring  the  country 
round.  The  strong  religious  convictions  which  his 
father  and  mother  had  ever  encouraged  were  stamped 
with  the  hall-mark  of  sincerity  through  his  own  search 
after  truth,  and  the  relentless  self-examination  to  which 
he  subjected  himself.  There  arose  before  him — never  to 
fade  away — the  sublime  form  of  Jesus  of  Nazareth,  the 
Great  Physician.  No  wonder  is  it  that  David  Livingstone 
should  have  conceived  a burning  desire  to  follow  in  such 
steps,  and  carry  the  art  of  healing  the  body  as  well 
as  the  soul  into  those  distant  lands  and  among  those 
ignorant  suffering  races,  in  the  direction  of  which  his 
studies  and  his  natural  sympathies  had  gradually 
tended. 

Livingstone  was  about  nineteen  years  of  age  when 
he  determined  to  prepare  for  the  life  of  a medical 


PREPARATION. 


IS 


missionary,  and  it  is  again  characteristic  of  his  nation- 
ality that  he  should  have  set  about  this  task,  infinitely 
more  difficult  then  than  now,  without  seeking  aid  or 
influence  from  any  person  or  society.  He  was  by  this 
time  a “ spinner,”  and  the  wages  he  earned  in  summer 
sufficed  to  support  him  in  winter  at  the  neighbouring 
city  of  Glasgow,  whither  he  went  to  get  the  benefit  of 
the  Greek,  divinity,  and  medical  lectures  of  its  univer- 
sity. His  first  session  was  in  the  winter  of  1836-37, 
and  on  its  conclusion  he  returned  to  his  labour  at  the 
Blantyre  mill. 

It  was  not  without  the  strictest  economy  that  David 
was  enabled  to  go  through  even  the  economical  course 
of  a Scotch  university.  We  can  gather  some  idea  of 
his  style  of  housekeeping  in  the  University  City,  when 
we  remember  that  his  lodgings  cost  him  no  more  than 
half-a-crown  a week,  and  that,  in  common  with  other 
Scotch  students,  he  lived  largely  on  oatmeal.  Yet, 
even  with  this  sparing  diet  and  modest  establishment, 
it  is  on  record  that  he  was  unable  to  enter  on  the 
second  session  without  pecuniary  help  from  his  elder 
brother — help,  be  it  noted,  which  was  scrupulously 
repaid.  Such  help  would  have  been  unneeded  had 
Livingstone  been  only  studying  theology,  for  the 
expenses  of  training  as  a missionary  pure  and  simple 
were  comparatively  light ; but  he  had  the  twofold  object 
in  view  of  tending  both  body  and  soul,  and  the  medical 
fees  were  a heavy  drain  upon  his  slender  purse. 

It  is  evident  that  during  the  two  years  at  Glasgow, 
Livingstone  largely  developed  the  scientific  side  of  his 
nature.  His  very  liberality  in  theology  was  owing  to 
his  perfectly  impartial  method  of  testing  every  question. 
Had  he  been  more  of  a theologian,  it  is  quite  conceiv- 
able he  might  have  lost  much  of  that  primitive  Christian 
spirit  which  marked  his  whole  life,  and  without  doubt 
contributed  largely  to  his  success  in  dealing  with  the 
raw  African.  He  has  told  us  himself  that,  when  he 


i6 


DAVID  LIVINGSTONE. 


was  advised  to  join  the  London  Missionary  Society,  he 
was  attracted  by  its  “ perfectly  unsectarian  character.” 
" It  sends,”  he  wrote,  “ neither  episcopacy,  nor  presby- 
terianism,  nor  independency,  but  the  Gospel  of  Christ, 
to  the  heathen.  This,”  he  adds,  “ exactly  agreed  with 
my  ideas  of  what  a missionary  society  ought  to  do.” 
And  in  the  course  of  this  book  it  will  be  shown  how 
exactly  such  ideas  were  clothed  in  his  own  missionary 
life,  for  to  the  very  end  he  never  ceased  to  claim 
forbearance  toward  the  ignorant  or  the  hostile,  and 
tolerance  toward  all. 

The  friends  of  his  university  years  will  be  found, 
then,  not  among  the  classmates  of  the  theological 
school,  but  among  those  of  the  medical  and  scientific. 
Perhaps  his  greatest  friend,  certainly  the  most  constant, 
was  James  Young,  who  afterwards  devoted  his  attain- 
ments in  chemistry  to  the  purification  of  petroleum,  and 
won  for  his  name  the  familiarity  of  a household  word, 
as  well  as  from  Livingstone  the  jocular  title  of  “ Sir 
Paraffin.”  Dr.  Graham,  the  Professor  of  Chemistry, 
and  Dr.  Andrew  Buchanan,  of  the  Medical  Faculty,  were 
also  great  and  kind  friends.  Sir  Lyon  Playfair  was 
another  classmate  and  friend  ; and  those  two  great 
scientists,  Professors  James  Thomson  and  Sir  William 
Thomson,  were  others. 

During  his  second  session  at  Glasgow  (1837-38), 
Livingstone  forwarded  his  application  to  the  London 
Missionary  Society,  and,  as  it  contains  a clear  definition 
of  his  views  of  a missionary’s  duty,  it  will  be  well  to 
quote  a portion  of  it  here.  “ The  missionary’s  object,” 
he  wrote,  “ is  to  endeavour,  by  every  means  in  his 
power,  to  make  known  the  Gospel  by  preaching,  ex- 
hortation, conversation,  instruction  of  the  young ; 
improving,  so  far  as  in  his  power,  the  temporal  con- 
dition of  those  among  whom  he  labours,  by  introducing 
the  arts  and  sciences  of  civilization,  and  doing  every- 
thing to  commend  Christianity  to  their  hearts  and 


PREPARATION. 


*7 


consciences.”  For  the  first  part  of  this  definition  he 
was  preparing  by  study  and  practical  piety — by  “ plain 
living  and  high  thinking;”  and  for  the  second  by 
picking  up  as  much  of  carpentry  and  other  useful  trades 
as  possible.  Without  some  such  wise  anticipation  as 
this,  he  would  have  been  sadly  puzzled  when  a few 
years  afterwards  he  was  confronted  with  the  task  of 
building  both  dwelling-house  and  school-house  and 
cultivating  grain  and  roots  for  his  own  sustenance  on 
his  mission-station. 

A great  clue  to  all  Livingstone’s  actions,  both  at 
this  time  and  throughout  the  whole  of  his  after-life — 
especially  when  his  geographical  labours  in  Africa  were 
regarded  with  disapprobation  by  many  men  of  pious 
life  but  narrow  views — is  to  be  found  in  the  independ- 
ence of  his  character.  It  came  out  forcibly  at  his 
final  examination  for  the  Diploma  of  Licentiate  of 
Faculty  of  Physicians  and  Surgeons.  He  says:  “Be- 
tween me  and  the  examiners  a slight  difference  of 
opinion  existed  as  to  whether  this  instrument  (the 
stethoscope)  could  do  what  was  asserted.  ...  I un- 
wittingly procured  for  myself  an  examination  rather 
more  severe  and  prolonged  than  usual  among  examin- 
ing bodies.  . . . However,  I was  admitted.  ...  It 
was  with  unfeigned  delight  I became  a member  of  a 
profession  which  is  pre-eminently  devoted  to  practical 
benevolence,  and  which  with  unwearied  energy  pursues 
from  age  to  age  its  endeavours  to  lessen  human  woe.” 

The  London  Missionary  Society  had  accepted  his 
offer  provisionally,  and  in  September  1838  Livingstone 
went  to  London  in  order  to  interview  the  heads  of  that 
Society.  He  was  then  sent  to  the  Rev.  Richard  Cecil, 
of  Chipping  Ongar,  Essex,  and  with  several  other 
candidates  received  theological  and  pastoral  instruction 
from  that  gentleman.  His  preaching  capacity  appeared 
to  be  slight,  and,  as  an  unfavourable  report  was  sent 
in  to  the  society,  it  was  by  the  merest  chance  that  h^ 

3 


is 


DAVID  LIVINGSTONE. 


was  accepted.  Some  one  pleaded  in  his  favour  ; he 
was  given  another  opportunity,  and  finally  his  services 
were  engaged.  There  can  be  no  doubt,  however,  that 
an  adverse  decision  would  have  had  no  effect  upon 
Livingstone’s  plans.  Indeed,  such  was  his  independ- 
ence, he  would  probably  have  relished  going  out  to 
preach  and  civilize  the  heathen  under  the  aegis  of  no 
authorized  body  far  more  than  as  the  accredited  agent 
of  one.  And,  as  a matter  of  fact,  it  will  be  seen  later 
that,  when  a difficulty  arose,  Livingstone  severed  his 
connection  with  the  Society  rather  than  embarrass  its 
position  or  his  own. 

The  years  of  preparation  were  now  drawing  to  a 
close,  and  the  question  of  “ Whither?”  faced  the  young 
missionary.  In  his  own  mind  it  had  been  settled  for 
some  time  ; his  eyes  had  been  fixed  on  China  and  its 
enormous  and  untilled  harvest  field  for  several  years. 
It  was  with  the  special  intention  of  dealing  with  the 
exclusive  people  of  that  country  that  he  had  determined 
on  becoming  a doctor,  and  it  was  therefore  a great 
blow  to  his  hopes  when  the  opium  war  broke  out 
between  that  country  and  Great  Britain,  and  effectually 
closed  China  to  the  European.  For  a while  his  desti- 
nation was  uncertain ; but  a meeting  with  Robert 
Moffat,  who  had  lately  returned  to  England  from  his 
mission  in  South  Africa,  led  Livingstone  to  determine 
on  that  almost  unknown  region  as  the  scene  of  his 
future  labours.  Dr.  Moffat  has  left  an  account  of  this 
meeting,  which  has  a special  interest  in  the  light  of 
the  lifelong  connection  which  was  to  unite  the  two 
men,  and  a portion  of  it  may  be  quoted  here. 

"He  asked  me  whether  I thought  he  would  do  for 
Africa.  I said  I believed  he  would,  if  he  would  not 
go  to  an  old  station,  but  would  advance  to  unoccupied 
ground,  specifying  the  vast  plain  to  the  north,  where 
1 had  sometimes  seen,  in  the  morning  sun,  the  smoke 
of  a thousand  villages,  where  no  missionary  had  ever 


PREPARATION. 


19 


been.  At  last  Livingstone  said:  ‘What  is  the  use 
of  my  waiting  for  the  end  of  this  abominable  opium 
war  ? I will  go  at  once  to  Africa  ! ’ The  Directors 
concurred,  and  Africa  became  his  sphere.” 

Livingstone  had  been  studying  ‘both  theology  and 
medicine  in  London  for  some  time,  and  toward  the 
end  of  1840  he  returned  to  Glasgow,  and  obtained  that 
medical  diploma  to  which  reference  has  already  been 
made.  He  was  now  therefore  equipped  for  the  fight, 
and  with  the  ardour  of  his  nature  was  willing  and 
anxious  for  service.  He  had  not  long  to  wait.  Within 
a few  days  he  received  the  summons,  and  on  the  17th 
of  November  bade  farewell  to  his  relatives  and  friends, 
and  returned  to  London.  His  father,  for  whom  he 
had  both  affection  and  respect,  he  was  never  to  see 
again.  Sixteen  years  later,  when  Livingstone  was 
winning  glory  in  the  heart  of  Africa,  the  old  man  died, 
but  not  before  he  had  heard  with  pride  and  thankful- 
ness of  his  son’s  achievements.  In  simple  language 
that  son  has  written  a beautiful  elegy  upon  him,  closing 
with  these  pregnant  words : “ I revere  his  memory.” 

On  the  20th  of  November,  in  Albion  Street  Chapel, 
Livingstone  received  his  formal  commission  to  preach 
the  Word.  Less  than  a month  afterwards,  he  was 
sailing  southward  on  the  Atlantic,  bound  for  the  Cape 
of  Good  Hope. 


BLizSluHABi  STATION,  KURUMAN. 


CHAPTER  II. 

EARLY  YEARS  IN  AFRICA. 

DAVID  LIVINGSTONE  had  received  general 
orders  from  the  Society  to  proceed  first  to 
Kuruman,  the  headquarters  of  the  Moffats,  and  then 
to  advance  northward  into  the  interior.  He  was  bear- 
ing with  him  five  hundred  copies  of  Moffat’s  Sechwana 
New  Testament,  just  printed  under  the  veteran  mis- 
sionary’s personal  supervision  in  England,  and  was 
looking  forward  with  eagerness  to  the  day  when  he 
could  strike  out  into  the  new  region  set  apart  for  his 
labours. 

At  this  time  Kuruman  was  the  most  northerly  mis- 
sionary station  in  South  Africa,  or,  as  Livingstone 
chose  to  put  it,  "the  most  southern  point  of  the  real 
missionary  field."  About  seven  hundred  miles  north- 
east of  Capetown,  and  at  that  time  more  usually  reached 
from  Port  Elizabeth,  Kuruman  was  situated  close  to 
the  source  of  the  Kuruman  River,  which,  flowing  in  a 
north-westerly  direction  for  about  two  hundred  miles, 
and  then  almost  due  south  for  the  same  distance, 
'ultimately  entered  the  Orange  River,  the  most  impor-? 


EARLY  YEARS  IN  AFRICA.  2 1 

tant  of  South  African  rivers.  To  the  south-west  of 
Kuruman  lay  Griqualand  and  its  Boer  population ; to 
the  south-east,  across  the  Vaal,  the  Orange  River  Free 
State,  with  a similar  population.  From  the  station 
northward  stretched  tribe  after  tribe  of  Bechwanas, 
who  passed  by  many  different  names.  At  Kuruman 
itself  they  were  Batlapis  ; a little  farther  to  the  north 
and  north-west,  Bangwaketse ; some  two  hundred 
miles  to  the  north,  Bakwains  ; and  beyond  these  again, 
the  Bakaa.  Northward  of  the  Bechwanas  was  Mata- 
beleland,  and  beyond  that  the  Zambesi.  The  route  into 
the  interior  lay  through  these  tribes  ; for  on  the  west 
the  missionary  was  hemmed  in  by  the  waterless  Kalahari 
desert,  and  on  the  east  by  the  unfriendly  Boers. 

Little  had  as  yet  been  achieved  among  the  native 
tribes  lying  along  this  route ; for,  although  Robert 
Moffat  had  made  many  journeys  and  had  lived  for 
months  at  a time  among  various  tribes  of  the  Bech- 
wanas, and  had  even  penetrated  to  M^tabeleland  and 
made  its  great  chief,  Moselekatse,  who  lived  on  the 
western  slopes  of  the  mountain  ridge  which  formed 
the  eastern  boundary  of  his  country,  a staunch  personal 
friend,  his  life’s  work  had  centred  in  Kuruman  and  the 
straggling  population  around. 

Kuruman,  in  fact,  was  the  only  place  for  a hundred 
miles  round  where  Europeans  could  settle  and  exist. 
And  even  at  Kuruman  the  excessive  droughts  which 
are  the  curse  of  the  greater  part  of  South  Africa  were 
not  unknown.  Bechwanaland  was  essentially  a dry 
country — so  dry,  indeed,  that  Livingstone  has  told  us 
that  needles  could  be  left  for  months  exposed  to  the 
outer  air  without  rusting.  To  grow  crops  with  success 
irrigation  was  necessary,  and  Moffatt  had  won  the 
confidence  of  the  natives  by  his  active  exertions  to 
procure  by  this  means  security  for  the  harvest.  He 
had  thus  taken  the  professional  “ rain-makers his 
most  active  opponents — in  the  rear,  and  enabled  the 


22 


DAVID  LIVINGSTONE. 


wretched  natives  to  dispense  with  the  services  of  these 
soothsayers.  By  striking  this  blow  at  the  most  in- 
fluential interpreters  of  the  old  superstitions,  he  had 
paved  the  way  to  a reception  of  the  tidings  it  was  his 
mission  to  bring. 

When  Livingstone  arrived  at  Kuruman,  he  found 
affairs  in  a prospering  condition.  From  a few  Hotten- 
tot servants  the  Christian  congregation  had  increased 
to  about  a thousand,  the  mission-house  and  church  had 
been  rebuilt  on  a larger  scale  and  of  stone,  the  schools 
had  become  flourishing  institutions,  and  the  advance 
of  civilization  was  marked  by  those  of  the  natives 
who  could  afford  it  purchasing  waggons  and  using 
oxen  for  labour  in  the  place  of  women.  “The  gar- 
dens,” wrote  Livingstone,  “ irrigated  by  the  Kuruman 
rivulet,  are  well  stocked  with  fruit  trees  and  vines, 
and  yield  European  vegetables  and  grain  readily.  The 
pleasantness  of  the  place  is  enhanced  by  the  con- 
trast it  presents  to  the  surrounding  scenery,  and  the 
fact  that  it  owes  all  its  beauty  to  the  manual  labour 
of  the  missionaries.  Externally  it  presents  a picture 
of  civilized  comfort  to  the  adjacent  tribes  ; and  by  its 
printing-press  . . . the  light  of  Christianity  is  gradually 
diffused  in  the  surrounding  region.” 

It  must  be  remembered  that  all  this  was  not  attained 
without  much  labour  and  hardship.  For  twenty  years 
the  Moffats  had  laboured  on  the  banks  of  the  Kuruman 
before  they  began  to  gather  in  the  harvest  or  entered 
into  the  reward  of  their  labours.  As  Livingstone  stood 
in  this  oasis,  he  saw  the  desert  widening  and  lengthen- 
ing before  him  ; his  years  of  toil  and  anxiety  were  all 
to  come.  Would  they,  too,  bring  a like  accomplish- 
ment ? We  shall  see. 

While  awaiting  the  permission  of  the  Society  to  erect 
a mission-station  north  of  Kuruman,  Livingstone  was 
journeying  up  and  down  the  whole  Bechwana  country. 
He  visited  the  Bakwains— -whose  chief,  Sechde,  became 


EARLY  YEARS  IN  AFRICA. 


23 


a great  friend — the  Bamangwato,  the  Bakaa,  and  the 
BaUiatla  in  succession,  studying  their  language  and 
customs,  and  in  every  way  equipping  himself  for  useful 
effort  amongst  them.  In  the  meanwhile  he  was  taking 
careful  notes  of  the  adaptability  of  the  country  to  agri- 
culture, inquiring  into  the  causes  of  its  intense  dryness, 
and  making  up  his  mind  even  at  this  early  date  as  to 
the  right  method  of  evangelizing  Africa.  It  speaks 
much  for  his  perspicacity  that  the  opinions  he  then 
formed  he  never  saw  cause  to  surrender.  He  wrote 
home  to  the  Directors  of  the  Society  with  his  usual 
emphatic  independence,  pointing  out  how  necessary 
it  was  to  draw  men  away  from  the  straggling  popu- 
lation between  Capetown  and  Kuruman,  and  scatter 
them  throughout  the  more  densely-peopled  country  to 
the  north  of  that  outpost ; in  fact,  how  necessary  it 
was  for  the  Society  to  reverse  its  policy.  Undervaluing 
their  young  representative,  and  rejecting,  for  a time  at 
least,  what  would  naturally  seem  the  over-sanguine 
views  of  an  inexperienced  missionary,  the  Society  made 
no  further  move  than  to  send  their  permission  for  the 
founding  of  a new  station. 

It  was  not  until  late  in  the  year  1843  that  Living- 
stone was  able  to  move  northward,  and  establish  his 
first  station  in  Africa  in  a pleasant  valley  leading  from 
a mountain  range,  which  the  Bakhatla  called  Mabotsa. 
By  this  name  also  the  station  came  to  be  known. 

Shortly  after  his  arrival,  he  met  with  that  encounter 
with  a lion  which  is  perhaps  one  of  the  most  familiar 
events  of  his  life.  Struck  to  the  ground  by  the  beast 
in  his  spring,  his  flesh  torn  and  the  upper  bone  of  his 
arm  crunched  in  the  lion’s  mouth,  Livingstone  was  only 
saved  from  death  by  the  courageous  conduct  of  a faith- 
ful servant,  who  was  also  a native  deacon.  In  his 
attempt  to  rescue  his  master,  Mebalwe  nearly  lost  his 
own  life  ; for  the  lion  quitted  his  hold  of  Livingstone’s 
arm,  dashed  blindly  at  Mebalwe,  biting  him  on  the 


24 


DAVID  LIVINGSTONE. 


thigh,  and  then,  while  in  the  act  of  attacking  another 
native,  fell  dead  from  the  bullets  he  had  received. 
Livingstone’s  comment  on  this  is  characteristic  : " But 
for  the  importunities  of  friends,  I meant  to  have  kept 
(this  story)  in  store  to  tell  my  children  when  in  my 
dotage.” 

As  soon  as  his  arm  was  healed,  he  set  about  building 
the  mission-house  and  school-house,  and  in  converting 
the  ground  adjacent  into  a garden.  Before  long  he 
found  cause  for  enlarging  his  house,  for  in  one  of  his 
visits  to  Kuruman  he  capped  a fond  attachment  to 
Mary,  the  eldest  child  of  the  Moffats,  by  proposing 
marriage  and  being  accepted.  Mary  Moffat  soon  after- 
wards became  Mary  Livingstone,  and  the  two  settled 
down  to  a busy  life  among  the  Bakhatla. 

The  life  before  the  Doctor  appeared  to  him  to  be 
projected  on  similar  lines  to  that  which  the  veteran 
Moffat  had  been  leading  for  so  many  years,  though 
somewhat  extended  in  usefulness  and  influence,  per- 
haps, by  his  greater  medical  skill.  He  was,  moreover, 
determined  to  put  into  practice  his  cherished  theory 
of  training  natives  for  the  ministry,  for  on  this  point 
he  was  always  very  decided  ; and,  it  is  not  sur- 
prising, considering  the  havoc  fever  had  played  with 
the  Europeans,  and  the  difficulty,  the  impossibility, 
of  procuring  them  in  sufficient  numbers  to  grapple 
with  the  vast  population  of  the  interior.  But  neither 
this  nor  the  settled  life  of  Moffat  was  to  fall  to  his 
lot.  He  was  reserved  for  a greater  and  more  difficult 
work. 

He  had  not  been  long  at  Mabotsa  when,  through 
some  absurd  jealously,  his  fellow  missionary  accused 
him  of  overstepping  his  rights  and  claiming  to  act  with 
greater  freedom  and  irresponsibility  than  his  position 
as  a brother  missionary  entitled  him  to.  This  weak 
brother  circulated  his  fancied  wrongs  and  suppression 
among  the  missionaries  at  the  Cape,  and  even  wrote 


26 


DAVID  LIVINGSTONE. 


hon  e to  the  Society.  Livingstone  was  naturally  indig- 
nant, but  said  little.  He  gave  up  the  house  he  had 
built  with  his  own  hands  and  the  garden  he  had  created 
by  his  own  toil,  and  left  them  generously  in  the  posses- 
sion of  his  enemy.  Turning  his  back  upon  Mabotsa,  he 
marched  some  forty  miles  northward  to  Chonuane,  the 
capital  of  the  Bakwains,  and  the  residence  of  their 
chief,  Sechele.  Here  he  founded  his  second  station. 

The  task  of  building  and  cultivating  began  again, 
but  he  was  cheered  in  his  labour  by  the  firm  friendship 
of  Sechble.  After  three  years  of  instruction  and  pro- 
bation the  chief  received  baptism.  But  the  people  still 
hung  back.  The  country  was  suffering  from  one  of 
those  fearful  South  African  droughts  of  which  the 
European  can  have  no  conception,  and  the  people  were 
told  by  the  baffled  "rain-makers”  that  Livingstone  had 
bewitched  the  rain,  and  none  would  come  to  rescue  their 
crops  from  failure  or  themselves  from  ruin  unless  the 
missionary  was  sent  away.  Even  Sechele  complained, 
in  characteristic  language,  of  the  backwardness  of  his 
people  in  following  his  example.  "In  former  times," 
said  he,  “ when  a chief  was  fond  of  hunting,  all  his 
people  got  dogs  and  became  fond  of  hunting  too.  If 
he  was  fond  of  dancing  or  music,  all  showed  a liking 
in  these  amusements  too.  If  the  chief  loved  beer,  they 
all  rejoiced  in  strong  drink.  But  in  this  case  it  is 
different.  I love  the  Word  of  God,  and  not  one  of  my 
brethren  will  join  me.” 

Some  progress,  however,  had  been  made,  for  the 
Day  of  Rest  was  generally  observed,  and  in  secular 
matters  the  people  recognised  in  the  missionary  a 
friend.  The  drought  and  the  hunger  it  entailed  were 
prime  factors  in  their  reluctance  to  embrace  the  new 
religion.  They  still  hoped  success  would  attend  the 
incantations  of  the  rain-makers.  They  hoped  in  vain. 

Livingstone  soon  came  to  the  conclusion  that  the 
only  chance  of  missionary  success  and  prosperity  for 


1ARLY  YEARS  IN  AFRICA. 


27 


the  tribe  amongst  whom  he  had  cast  his  lot  was  to 
move  to  a more  favoured  region  ; and  Sechele  and  his 
people  being  nothing  loth,  the  whole  community  moved 
westward  to  the  river  Kolobeng,  about  forty  miles 
distant.  Under  Livingstone’s  direction  canals  and 
trenches  were  cut  in  connection  with  the  river,  and  a 
complete  system  of  irrigation  introduced.  Sechele  built 
the  school-house  at  his  own  expense,  and  Livingstone 
once  more  had  to  make  a home.  “ Our  house,”  he 
says,  “ at  the  river  Kolobeng,  which  gave  a name  to 
the  settlement,  was  the  third  which  I had  reared  with 
my  own  hands.  A native  smith  taught  me  to  weld 
iron  ; and,  having  improved  by  scraps  of  information 
in  that  line  from  Mr.  Moffat,  and  also  in  carpentering 
and  gardening,  I was  becoming  handy  at  almost  any 
trade,  besides  doctoring  and  preaching;  and,  as  my 
wife  could  make  candles,  soap,  and  clothes,  we  came 
nearly  up  to  what  may  be  considered  as  indispensable 
in  the  accomplishments  of  a missionary  family  in  Central 
Africa,  namely,  the  husband  to  be  a jack-of-all-trades 
without  doors,  and  the  wife  a maid-of-all-work  within." 

In  the  midst  of  his  many  labours  he  found  time  to 
write  home  to  friends  and  scientific  men.  His  long 
letters  were  marvellous  specimens  of  careful  writing 
and  close  reasoning,  dealing  with  all  the  geographical 
and  scientific  bearings  of  the  various  phenomena  he 
was  daily  encountering,  and  ever  and  again  reverting 
to  his  views  on  the  missionary  subject.  He  always 
considered  that  many  of  our  missionaries  who  were 
living  fairly  comfortable  lives  in  Cape  Colony  could 
have  been  spared  for  the  nobler  work  among  the 
populous  Bechwana  and  the  tribes  of  the  interior. 
Indeed,  his  view  of  the  case  is  very  well  summed  up 
in  a letter  to  a friend  : “ If  you  meet  me  down  in 
the  Colony  before  eight  years  are  expired,  you  may 
shoot  me.” 

At  Mabotsa,  the  Doctor  had  come  in  contact  with 


28 


DAVID  LIVINGSTONE. 


the  Boers,  and  during  his  comparatively  lung  residence 
at  Kolobeng  he  made  several  journeys  eastward  into 
their  country.  The  Boers,  who  had  gradually  retreated 
into  the  interior  as  the  English  extended  their  sphere 
of  influence,  treated  the  Bechwanas  with  the  same 
cruelty  and  contempt  they  had  meted  out  to  the  coast 
Kaffirs.  Indeed,  their  chief  grievance  against  the 
English  was  that  they  had  the  same  law  for  the  black 
as  for  the  white.  The  Boers  therefore  regarded  the 
missionaries  with  undisguised  hatred,  and  resisted 
every  attempt  made  to  found  a mission  near  their  own 
settlements. 

For  Livingstone  they  conceived  intense  animosity, 
seeing  in  him  a doughty  champion  of  the  ill-used 
Bechwanas.  They  accused  him  of  selling  guns  and 
gunpowder  to  the  natives  ; for,  although  they  saw  no 
harm  in  wantonly  massacring  whole  villages  of  Bak- 
wains  or  Bakhatlas,  they  naturally  objected  to  the 
possibility  of  the  tables  being  turned  upon  themselves. 
Spies  were  sent  to  discover  the  armed  strength  of 
Sechele’s  men  and  the  mode  of  Livingstone’s  life. 
They  could  discover  nothing  of  the  atrocities  they  had 
imagined,  and  so  they  concluded  that  the  missionary 
had  taught  the  “ black  property  ” the  arts  of  deception 
along  with  those  of  civilization.  Indeed,  the  influence 
of  the  Boers  was  such — and  for  the  matter  of  that  the 
Dutch  vote  is  still  an  important  factor  in  South  African 
politics — that  Livingstone  was  for  a time  considered, 
even  at  the  headquarters  of  Government  at  Capetown, 
to  be  a highly  active  and  mischievous  person  ! 

It  is  more  pleasing  to  turn  from  the  consideration  of 
these  “ Africanders  ” to  a look  at  Livingstone  in  his 
daily  life  and  labour.  He  has  left  us  a vivid  picture, 
too  full  of  detail  for  insertion  here.  Everything  he 
required  he  had  to  make  from  the  raw  material  ; there 
were  no  manufacturers  or  “ middlemen  ” at  Kolobeng. 
" You  want  bricks  to  build  a house,”  he  tells  us,  “ and 


EARLY  YEARS  IN  AFRICA. 


29 


must  forthwith  proceed  to  the  field,  cut  down  a tree, 
and  saw  it  into  planks  to  make  the  brick  moulds  ; the 
materials  for  doors  and  windows,  too,  are  standing  in 
the  forest ; and,  if  you  want  to  be  respected  by  the 
natives,  a house  of  decent  dimensions,  costing  an  im- 
mense amount  of  manual  labour,  must  be  built.”  He 
tells  us  further  on  that  every  brick  and  stick  of  the 
three  large  houses  he  had  built  had  to  be  put  square  by 
his  own  hand. 

The  bread  was  almost  always  baked  in  an  oven 
which  was  a hole  in  the  ground  ; butter  was  churned  in 
a jar ; candles  made  in  wooden  moulds ; and  soap  pro- 
cured from  the  ashes  of  a plant.  Livingstone  does  not 
forget  to  pay  a tribute  to  his  wife — a valuable  helpmeet. 
He  wrote  in  his  first  published  book  : “ Married  life  is 
all  the  sweeter  when  so  many  comforts  emanate  directly 
from  the  thrifty,  striving  housewife’s  hands.” 

After  breakfasting  early — about  six  o’clock — Living- 
stone and  his  wife  taught  men,  women,  and  children 
in  school.  School  over,  Mrs.  Livingstone  attended  to 
domestic  duties,  while  her  husband  worked  as  smith, 
carpenter,  or  gardener  for  himself  or  his  people. 
After  dinner,  and  an  hour’s  siesta,  his  wife  taught  the 
infants  to  sing  and  the  girls  to  sew.  Three  nights  a 
week  a religious  service  was  held,  and  on  the  other 
evenings  Livingstone  walked  about  the  settlement, 
conversing  with  any  and  all  who  might  have  questions 
to  ask  him.  Tending  the  sick  and  ministering  to  the 
diseased,  they  tried  to  gain  the  affections  of  the  natives 
by  S'  pplying  the  wants  of  the  body.  “ Show  kind 
attention,”  says  Livingstone,  “to  the  reckless  opponents 
of  Christianity  on  the  bed  of  sickness  and  pain,  and 
they  never  can  become  your  personal  enemies.  Here, 
if  anywhere,  love  begets  love." 

The  first  season  had  passed  away  successfully  at 
Kolobeng,  owing  to  the  irrigation  works,  but  the 
drought  proved  too  much  for  their  slender  source  in 


30 


DAVID  LIVINGSTONE. 


the  second  year,  and  the  river  Kolobeng  shrank  to  a 
mere  rivulet.  Duiing  the  whole  of  the  second  and 
third  years  but  ten  inches  of  rain  fell,  and  the  fourth 
year  was  but  little  better.  The  river  entirely  dis- 
appeared, and  its  bed  had  to  be  literally  mined  in  order 
to  procure  moisture  for  the  more  precious  fruit-trees. 
Pasturage  for  cattle  failed,  and  the  cows  gave  no 
milk  ; the  tribe  was  in  a bad  way,  and  became  restless 
again.  The  restlessness  seemed  infectious;  for  Living- 
stone, whose  eyes  looked  ever  northward,  and  who 
longed  for  power  to  disseminate  native  deacons  and 
schoolmasters  among  the  people  of  the  interior,  made 
up  his  mind  that  Kolobeng,  too,  must  be  left  behind, 
and  that  pastures  new  and  more  desirable  must  be 
sought.  If  the  natives  could  not  live  at  Kolobeng,  it 
was  very  evident  that  Europeans  could  not  either,  and 
the  sooner  a new  station  was  selected  the  better  for  the 
tribe  among  which  he  was  living,  and  the  better  also 
for  the  prosperity  of  his  Gospel  preaching. 

In  all  his  plans  not  one  thought  occurred  of  retreat- 
ing, as  he  easily  might  have  done,  to  the  Colony,  and 
living  in  comparative  ease  and  perfect  security.  No; 
his  eyes  were  looking  fearlessly  northward,  and  his 
whole  soul  breathed  the  one  word  “ Onward  1" 


AM  AF RICAN  VILLAGE 


CHAPTER  III. 

MISSIONARY  TRAVELS. 

LITTLE  did  Livingstone  think  that  when  he  left 
Kolobeng  to  seek  a more  suitable  settlement  for 
himself  and  his  friends  the  Bak  wains,  he  was  really 
entering  on  a career  of  travel  and  exploration  which 
was  to  place  his  name  on  the  highest  pinnacle  of  fame 
and  only  end  with  his  death. 

Yet  such  was  the  case,  and  therefore  it  cannot  but 
be  appropriate  to  consider  here,  as  briefly  as  possible, 
the  twofold  position  of  Livingstone  as  a missionary  and 
an  explorer. 

It  is  evident  enough  that,  when  he  left  his  wife  and 
three  children  at  Kolobeng,  his  sole  purpose  was  to  seek 
the  country  of  Sebituane,  and  ascertain  if  the  regions  of 
the  “ great  lake  ” of  which  he  had  so  often  heard  were 
healthful  and  suitable  to  missionary  enterprise.  In  his 
efforts  to  preach  the  Gospel  to  the  various  tribes  he 
encountered,  he  found  it  after  a while  impossible  to 
take  his  family  with  him,  and  reluctantly  he  consented 
to  their  departure  to  England.  At  once  set  free  from 
all  family  responsibility,  he  eptered  into  those  wider 


32 


DAVID  LIVINGSTONE. 


labours  which  ultimately  led  him  across  the  continent 
of  Africa.  This  was  no  mere  effort  of  geographical 
enterprise,  but  undertaken  in  a purely  humanitarian 
spirit.  He  had  by  that  time  discovered  the  growing 
enormity  of  the  slave  trade,  which  prospered  wherever 
the  Arabs,  coast  tribes,  and  Portuguese  had  access  ; and 
to  stamp  this  out  became  one  of  the  ruling  passions 
of  his  life.  With  a statesmanlike  appreciation  of  the 
case,  he  saw  that  if  he  could  foster  legitimate  trade  that 
in  human  flesh  would  probably  subside.  If  the  tribes 
of  the  interior  had  nothing  to  exchange  for  those  cottons 
and  guns,  bright  tinsel  ornaments,  beads  and  wire, 
which  were  displayed  so  temptingly  before  their  eyes, 
and  which  they  naturally  coveted,  but  the  men,  women, 
and  children  they  had  captured  in  their  tribal  wars, 
or,  failing  these,  even  their  own  kith  and  kin,  then,  as 
Livingstone  saw  plainly,  their  uncontrolled  greed  would 
lead  them  to  trade  in  slaves.  In  his  anxiety  to  suppress 
this  growing  traffic,  he  sought  an  outlet  for  such  raw 
material  as  the  natives  could  be  induced  to  gather. 
His  search  for  some  great  natural  highway  to  the  ocean 
led  him  first  to  Loandaon  the  west  coast,  and  then  from 
there  to  Quilimane  on  the  shores  of  the  Indian  Ocean. 

Yet  all  the  while  he  hungered  for  the  soul  of  the 
African.  It  has  already  been  mentioned  that  he  believed 
far  more  could  be  effected  by  native  agencies  than  by 
European  ; that  the  vast  needs  of  Africa  could  only 
be  met  by  raising  up  a suitable  supply  from  the 
practically  inexhaustible  material  at  hand.  His  views, 
however,  differed  from  the  accepted  ideas  of  missionary 
labour.  Projected  over  a series  of  years  and  much 
toil,  they  revealed  the  true  proportion  and  perspective 
of  events  and  efforts.  He  became  convinced — and  to 
be  convinced  with  Livingstone  was  to  be  enthusiastic 
as  well — that  the  evangelizing  of  Africa  was  not  to 
be  achieved  in  its  earliest  stage  by  building  stations 
and  settling  permanently  among  one  people ; but  rather 


MISSIONARY  TRAVELS. 


33 


by  staying  a few  years  with  each  tribe,  preaching  the 
Gospel,  specially  instructing  such  as  would  receive  it, 
and  then  moving  on  to  new  tribes.  “ Our  own  eleva- 
tion,” he  said,  “ has  been  the  work  of  centuries ; and, 
remembering  this,  we  should  not  indulge  in  over- 
wrought expectations  as  to  the  elevation  which  those 
who  have  inherited  the  degradation  of  ages  may  attain 
in  our  day.” 

And  so  it  happened  that,  whenever  and  wherever  he 
travelled  in  the  years  to  come,  he  sowed  the  seed  as 
he  went.  Far  and  wide  he  flung  it ; and  far  and  wide, 
even  to  this  day,  his  name  is  remembered  with  respect. 
The  principle  which  actuated  him  through  it  all  is  con- 
tained in  those  well-known  words  of  his:  “The  end 
of  the  geographical  feat  is  only  the  beginning  of  the 
missionary  enterprise.” 

On  the  ist  of  June,  1849,  and  in  company  with  two 
Englishmen  bent  on  sporting  adventure — Mr.  Oswell 
and  Mr.  Murray — Livingstone  set  out  on  his  northward 
march.  Right  in  his  track  lay  the  great  Kalahari 
Desert.  From  the  Orange  River  in  the  south  to  Lake 
Ngami  in  the  north,  from  the  Transvaal  on  the  east 
to  Great  Namaqualand  on  the  west,  this  vast  tract  of 
country  extends — in  its  southern  portions  open  and 
grassy,  and  in  its  northern  wooded  as  well.  It  is  flat  and 
sandy,  and  in  many  parts  grass  grows  luxuriantly,  and 
bushes  and  trees  are  not  uncommon.  Here  and  there 
are  distinctly  traceable  the  beds  of  ancient  rivers,  but  no 
water  ever  flows  along  them  now.  It  is  a region  of  few 
wells  and  no  streams,  a country  of  complete  drought ; 
and  to  the  natives  and  Boers  who  dwelt  east  of  it,  the 
Kalahari  Desert  conveyed  the  idea  of  utter  desolation. 

And  yet  this  idea  was  in  many  respects  erroneous. 
Large  numbers  of  Bushmen  lead  a nomadic  life  upon 
this  sandy  plain.  From  place  to  place  they  follow  the 
antelope — a beast  which  resembles  the  camel  in  his 
ability  to  dispense  with  water — as  he  roams,  one  of 

3 


34 


DAVID  LIVINGSTONE. 


enormous  herds,  across  the  “ desert.”  The  natives  eat 
of  the  scarlet  cucumbers  and  the  succulent  water-melons 
which  in  many  districts  carpet  the  ground  ; and  they 
drink  of  the  water-bearing  tubers  which,  found  a foot 
or  so  below  the  surface  of  the  soil,  produce  a liquor  of 
surprising  coolness.  And  just  as  the  slight  and  wiry 
physique  of  the  Bushman  is  adapted  in  no  common 
measure  to  his  local  environment,  so  are  many  plants 
found  which  are  here,  and  nowhere  else,  provided 
with  tuber-reservoirs  at  a depth  below  the  ground 
sufficient  to  preserve  life  and  ensure  growth.  Animals 
which  are  usually  regarded  as  carnivorous  become 
herbivorous  in  the  presence  of  that  “date-palm”  of 
the  Kalahari,  the  water-melon.  For  not  only  do  the 
elephant  and  rhinoceros  delight  in  it,  but  the  jackal, 
the  hyaena,  and  even  the  lion  himself,  eat  of  it  readily. 
In  short,  despite  the  monotony  of  the  vegetation  and 
the  absolute  want  of  surface  water,  the  Kalahari  Desert 
supports  a large  population,  numerous  animals,  fruits  of 
several  kinds  in  great  quantity,  and  in  many  parts  an 
abundance  of  grass.  Hostile  in  aspect,  it  has  a not 
unkindly  heart : yet  its  character  is  such  that  the  stranger 
may  die  where  the  native  would  find  enough  and  to  spare. 

After  travelling  for  about  a month,  suffering  at  times 
a good  deal  from  thirst,  and  being  deceived  at  others 
by  the  glittering  salt-pans  which  appeared  through 
mirage  to  be  lakes  or  rivers,  Livingstone  and  his  party 
reached  the  Zouga  River.  From  this  point  to  the  Ngami 
Lake  the  route  was  comparatively  easy  ; the  river  ran 
a south-easterly  course  from  the  lake,  and  they  had  but 
to  follow  the  river. 

It  was  while  ascending  the  Zouga  that  Livingstone 
first  discovered  the  nature  of  the  region  which  is 
generally  called  South  Central  Africa.  That  vast 
plateau  of  sand,  which  “ arm-chair  geographers  ” had 
decided  was  the  true  character  of  this  region,  disappeared 
for  ever  when  Livingstone  inquired  into  the  source  of 


MISSIONARY  TRAVELS. 


35 


the  Tamanakle,  an  affluent  of  the  Zouga,  and  asked 
from  what  sort  of  land  it  came.  The  answer  that  was 
given  him  was  this  : “ From  a country  full  of  rivers  — 
so  many  no  one  can  tell  their  number — and  full  of 
large  trees  ! ” That  answer  opened  up  such  a vista 
before  him  that  Livingstone  declared,  on  at  last  sighting 
the  much-talked-of  lake,  that  its  discovery  seemed  of 
little  importance  ! He  was  already,  in  spirit,  travelling 
upon  the  waterways,  and  reposing  under  the  umbrageous 
forest  trees  of  the  Zambesi  basin. 

On  the  1st  of  August  the  lake  was  sighted  at  its 
north-east  end.  It  has  proved  to  have,  usually,  an 
area  of  three  hundred  square  miles  ; but,  like  some 
other  African  lakes,  it  largely  expands  and  contracts  in 
accordance  with  the  wet  or  the  dry  season.  When 
the  lake  is  full,  the  water  is  fresh  ; when  low,  it  is 
brackish.  To-day  it  may  be  deep  in  almost  every  part ; 
three  months  hence  a canoe  might  be  punted  over  its 
bosom  for  miles  at  a time. 

Livingstone’s  chief  object  in  coming  north  was  to 
visit  Sebituane,  the  powerful  chief  of  a great  people — 
the  Makololo.  This  individual  had  been  very  kind  in 
former  years  to  Sechdle,  Livingstone’s  old  ally,  and  it 
was  with  the  idea  of  migrating  to  the  country  of  the 
Makololo  that  the  missionary  had  left  Kolobeng  for 
the  court  of  Sebituane.  He  was,  however,  prevented 
from  advancing  beyond  Ngami  by  the  jealousy  of 
Lechulatebe,  the  most  important  chief  on  the  shores  of 
the  lake.  He  refused  to  transport  the  party  across  the 
Zouga,  and  the  determination  of  Livingstone  nearly  cost 
him  his  life.  “ Trying  hard,”  he  wrote  in  his  journal, 
“ to  form  a raft  at  a narrow  part,  I worked  many  hours 
in  the  water ; but  the  dry  wood  was  so  worm-eaten  it 
would  not  bear  the  weight  of  a single  person.  I was 
not  then  aware  of  the  number  of  alligators  which  exist 
in  the  Zouga,  and  never  think  of  my  labour  in  the  water 
without  feeling  thankful  that  1 escaped  their  jaws.” 


DAVID  LIVINGSTONE. 


Descending  the  Zouga  slowly,  and  taking  most 
careful  notes  of  all  animal  and  vegetable  life  that  met 
his  eyes,  Livingstone  returned  to  Kolobeng.  In  April 
of  the  following  year,  however,  he  once  more  started 
for  the  lake  and  Sebituane’s.  This  time  he  was  ac- 
companied by  his  wife  and  three  children,  as  well  as  by 
Sechele.  On  arriving  at  Lechulatebe’s  he  lost  no  time 
in  again  pressing  his  wish  to  be  allowed  to  proceed 
to  Sebituane’s,  and  had  just  gained  his  point  and 
obtained  the  promise  of  substantial  help  when  an 
unforeseen  occurrence  upset  all  his  plans.  Two  of  his 
children  and  most  of  his  servants  were  prostrated  with 
fever,  and  an  immediate  departure  became  necessary. 
But  it  was  to  the  comparatively  pure  air  of  the  more 
elevated  Kalahari  that  Livingstone  took  his  party  : 
his  departure,  in  fact,  was  a retreat.  The  low-lying 
country  round  the  lake  was  eminently  unhealthy,  and 
with  slow  steps  and  a sad  heart  Livingstone  returned 
once  more  to  Kolobeng. 

Here  a fourth  child  was  born — only  to  be  swept 
away  by  an  epidemic  prevalent  at  the  time.  Living- 
stone wrote  : “ It  was  the  first  death  in  our  family.  . . . 
We  felt  her  loss  keenly.  ...  It  is  wonderful  how 
soon  the  affections  twine  round  a little  stranger.”  Soon 
afterwards  Mrs.  Livingstone  had  a severe  illness  ; and, 
her  husband  being  also  in  poor  health,  for  the  sake  of 
change  the  whole  party  journeyed  to  Kuruman,  where 
in  the  delightful  home  which  the  efforts  of  Robert 
Moffat  had  created  they  gathered  strength  for  future 
effort. 

In  April  1851  a third,  and  this  time  a success- 
ful, attempt  was  made  to  gain  the  country  of  the 
Makololo.  The  route  lay  across  the  worst  part  of  the 
Kalahari  Desert,  and  more  than  once  death  from  thirst 
appeared  imminent.  When  water  became  more  fre- 
quent, another  danger  appeared.  The  children  were 
so  savagely  attacked  by  mosquitoes,  that  for  a long 


MISSIONARY  TRAVELS. 


37 


time  they  were  in  a highly  feverish  state.  When  the 
children  seemed  improving,  a new  cause  for  alarm 
arose  in  the  appearance  of  the  tse-tse  fly,  which 
threatened  to  destroy  the  cattle,  their  sole  means  of 
transport.  So  great  a part  has  this  fly  played  in 
African  exploration,  that  a brief  description  of  it  may 
well  be  given  here. 

In  size  about  that  of  the  common  house  fly,  and  in 
colour  that  of  the  honey-bee,  this  small  and  insignificant- 
looking insect  is  nevertheless  terribly  powerful.  On 
this  journey  alone  Livingstone  lost  forty-three  oxen 
from  its  bite,  and  they  were  watched  so  carefully  that 
he  believed  hardly  a score  of  flies  had  ever  settled  on 
them.  Fatal  as  is  its  bite  on  the  horse,  ox,  or  dog,  it 
has  no  effect  upon  man,  the  mule,  or  goat,  or  upon  wild 
animals.  In  the  act  of  biting,  the  middle  prong  of  the 
triple  proboscis  first  pierces  the  skin,  and  then  is  partly 
withdrawn  while  the  mandibles  set  to  work.  When 
the  fly  has  had  its  fill,  it  brings  its  large  wings  into 
action  and  goes  away.  An  irritation  supervenes,  and 
in  the  case  of  man  shortly  subsides,  in  the  ox,  how- 
ever, after  a few  days  the  poison  has  reached  a high 
state  of  activity.  Catarrh  occurs  at  the  eyes  and  nose, 
and  in  some  parts  a slight  swelling  arises.  After 
this  the  muscles  become  flaccid,  the  animal  rapidly 
emaciated,  and  it  ultimately  dies  of  exhaustion.  Some- 
times, if  the  bitten  ox  be  in  superior  condition,  the 
poison  goes  to  the  brain,  producing  blindness  and 
“ staggers,”  and  comparatively  sudden  death. 

The  symptoms  which  the  organs  of  animals  so  de- 
stroyed present  are  those  of  blood-poisoning,  and  the 
poison  of  the  tse-tse  is  contained  in  a bulb  at  the  root 
of  the  proboscis.  The  quantity,  however,  is  so  minute 
that  it  has  been  supposed  that  it  has  the  property  of 
reproduction  in  the  animal.  At  any  rate  the  influence 
of  the  tse-tse  on  horses  and  oxen  is  such  that  any  one 
who  trusts  to  them  for  the  transport  of  himself  through 


38 


DAVID  LIVINGSTONE. 


a difficult  country  will  do  his  very  utmost  to  avoid  the 
well-defined  localities  which  the  fly  affects. 

At  last  Livingstone  reached  the  court  of  Sebituane, 
and  looked  on  the  face  of  the  man  whose  name  was 
the  most  widely  known  and  feared  throughout  the 
region  between  the  Cape  Colony  and  the  Zambesi. 
He  was  a man  in  the  prime  of  life,  tall  and  strong,  of 
an  olive  colour,  and  “ more  frank  in  his  answers  than 
any  other  chief  I ever  met.”  His  career  had  been  a 
chequered  one,  and  it  was  due  to  his  great  courage  and 
ability  that  he  had  won  for  himself  the  position  he  held 
as  chief  of  the  warlike  Makololo.  He  received  Living- 
stone most  warmly,  and  it  was  a keen  sorrow  to  the 
latter  and  a great  blow  to  his  hopes  when  Sebituane 
died  within  a month  of  his  arrival. 

Sebituane  was  succeeded  by  Mamochisane,  his 
daughter,  and  she  gave  Livingstone  and  Oswell  per- 
mission to  go  anywhere  they  pleased  throughout  her 
country.  They  at  once  marched  northward  to  find  the 
great  river  of  which  the  natives  had  spoken,  and  at 
the  end  of  June  1851  their  search  was  rewarded  at 
Sesheke  by  the  discovery  of  the  Zambesi  in  the  heart 
of  Africa. 

This  was  a discovery  of  great  geographical  impor- 
tance, besides  bearing  directly  on  Livingstone’s  cherished 
scheme  of  finding  and  opening  routes  to  the  oceans  on 
either  hand.  Up  to  this  time  the  very  existence  of  the 
river  in  the  longitude  of  Sesheke  was  unknown.  The 
Portuguese,  who  held  the  coast  on  the  east  and  the 
west,  were  the  people  most  likely  to  know  the  extent 
of  the  Zambesi ; but  with  few  exceptions  the  Portu- 
guese have  been,  during  the  last  century  or  so,  only 
less  disinclined  to  exploration  than  to  missionary  enter- 
prise. Their  maps,  consequently,  placed  the  sources 
of  the  Zambesi  far  to  the  east  of  even  Sesheke ! And 
yet  this  is  what  Livingstone  says  of  the  river  at  that 
point,  and  in  the  dry  season : — 


MISSIONARY  TRAVELS. 


39 


“The  river  was  at  its  lowest,  and  yet  there  was  a 
breadth  of  from  three  hundred  to  six  hundred  yards 
of  deep  flowing  water.  At  the  period  of  its  annual 
inundation  it  rises  fully  twenty  feet  in  perpendicular 
height,  and  floods  fifteen  or  twenty  miles  of  lands 
adjacent  to  its  banks.” 

The  one  idea  which  possessed  Livingstone  now  was 
to  gauge  the  extent  of  this  vast  highway  for  commerce 
and  civilization  ; to  trace  it  to  its  sources,  to  follow 
it  to  the  coast.  He  could  not,  however,  do  this  with 
his  family  ; neither  could  he  leave  them  in  the  swampy 
region  between  the  Chobe  and  the  Zambesi,  where  the 
Makololo  were  then  living;  neither  could  he  send  them 
back  to  Kolobeng,  as  the  Boers  were  not  likely  to  leave 
them  in  peace  there.  So  he  determined,  as  he  has 
told  us,  to  part  from  them  for  a time.  “ I at  once 
resolved  to  save  my  family  from  exposure  to  this 
unhealthy  region  by  sending  them  to  England,  and  to 
return  alone,  with  a view  to  exploring  the  country  in 
search  of  a healthy  district  that  might  pr*ve  a centre 
of  civilization  and  open  up  the  interior  by  a path  to  the 
east  or  west  coast.” 

He  accordingly  took  his  family  to  the  Cape,  and  for 
the  first  time  after  a lapse  of  eleven  years  came  in 
contact  with  civilized  life.  The  absence  was  to  be  for 
two  years;  before  they  met  again  five  years  had  passed, 
and  Livingstone,  from  being  an  unknown  missionary 
in  Bechwanaland,  had  leaped  into  world-wide  fame  by 
his  famous  journey  to  Loanda,  and  thence  across  Africa. 

While  Livingstone  was  slowly  returning  to  Kolobeng, 
the  Boers  attacked  the  Bakwains,  slew  many,  and  took 
more  away  into  captivity.  His  own  house  was  sacked, 
the  furniture  carried  away,  and  all  the  books  of  his 
valued  library  torn  to  pieces,  and  the  leaves  scattered 
on  the  ground  outside  his  house.  Enormous  numbers 
of  cattle  were  raided,  and  the  children  of  Sechdle,  the 
chief,  stolen.  It  was  fortunate  for  Livingstone  that  he 


MAP  OF 

Livingstone  $ routes  art 


CENTRAL  AFRICA. 
Indicated  thus — - 


42 


DAVID  LIVINGSTONE. 


was  not  at  Kolobeng,  for . Pretorius  had  threatened  to 
kill  him,  and  there  can  be  little  doubt  that  that  threat 
would  have  been  carried  out.  There  was  not  the 
shadow  of  justification  for  this  and  other  murderous 
incursions  of  the  Boers;  and  as  Livingstone  subsequently 
and  shrewdly  pointed  out,  if  the  Bakwains  had  been 
producers  of  raw  material  for  English  commerce,  the 
outrageous  conduct  of  the  Boers  would  not  have  gone 
unpunished,  not  to  mention  unheeded,  by  the  English 
nation.  And  he  adds  : “ We  ought  to  encourage  the 
Africans  to  cultivate  for  our  markets,  as  the  most  effectual 
means,  next  to  the  Gospel,  of  their  elevation.” 

As  directly  assisting  to  this  end,  he  became  more 
than  ever  determined  to  open  up  the  interior — the  Boer 
policy  being  one  of  exclusiveness.  So  after  some  delay, 
owing  to  the  unsettled  state  of  the  country,  he  procured 
guides,  and  arrived  safely  at  Linyanti,  the  chief  town 
of  the  Makololo  people,  in  the  month  of  June,  1853. 
It  will  be  remembered  that  during  his  last  visit  he  had 
found  the  country  swampy  and  unhealthy.  This  second 
visit  not  only  confirmed  his  opinion  that  the  climate 
was  most  hurtful  to  Europeans,  but  he  also  discovered 
that  many  parts  of  the  country  were  almost  impassable. 
Livingstone  speaks  of  lofty  grass  “ which  at  certain 
angles  cut  the  hands  like  a razor,”  and  which  was  so 
welded  into  mass  by  climbing  convolvuli,  that  often  the 
only  way  progress  could  be  made  was  by  two  or  three 
men  leaning  against  a part  and  bending  it  down  till 
they  could  stand  on  and  walk  over  it ! When  to  this 
sort  of  vegetation  is  added  the  fact  that  for  miles  and 
miles  the  country  was  in  flood — stagnant  rather  than 
current — the  difficulties  of  travel  and  the  obstacles  to 
the  active  work  of  civilization  become  more  obvious. 

Mamochisane,  the  daughter  of  the  old  chief  Sebituane, 
appeared  to  have  found  the  cares  of  government  too 
much  for  her,  for  she  had  handed  them  over  to  her 
brother,  Sekeletu.  By  this  young  man  Livingstone 


MISSIONARY  TRAVELS. 


43 


was  cordially  received  and  assisted  in  his  various  plans. 
He  remained  for  some  months  with  the  Makololo, 
preaching  the  Gospel  continually,  and  treating  with 
medical  skill  those  cases  which  the  native  doctors  had 
given  up  in  despair.  He  was  so  attracted  by  the 
manly  spirit  and  hospitable  ways  exhibited  by  this 
race,  that  one  time  he  had  almost  made  up  his  mind 
to  settle  amongst  them.  But  the  extreme  unhealthiness 
of  the  climate,  from  which  he  was  suffering  much, 
deterred  him  from  this  step,  and  led  him  on  in  his 
search  after  a healthful  district  where  Europeans  could 
settle  permanently,  and  from  which  trained  native 
teachers  might  be  sent  out  in  all  directions — rays  of 
light  to  illumine  this  desperately  dark  region. 

On  the  nth  of  November,  1853,  Livingstone  set 
out  on  the  journey  which  was  to  end  at  Loanda.  He 
had  sent  his  companions  back  to  Kuruman  and  the 
Cape,  and  took  with  him  instead  twenty-seven  men 
whom  Sekeletu  provided.  These  men,  Livingstone 
said,  might  have  been  called  Zambesians,  for  there 
were  only  two  true  Makololo  among  them. 

In  these  latter  days  of  exploring  Africa  with  elaborate 
equipments  and  large  armed  forces,  Livingstone’s  outfit 
is  worth  noting.  For  food  he  took  “ only  a few  biscuits, 
a few  pounds  of  tea  and  sugar,  and  about  twenty  of 
coffee."  Of  clothing  he  had  some  in  a small  tin  box 
for  use  on  reaching  the  civilized  towns  on  the  coast ; of 
books  he  had  three — a Bible,  a Nautical  Almanac,  and 
Thomson’s  Logarithm  Tables.  Of  course  he  had  his 
journal  with  him — a toughly  bound  book  of  more  than 
eight  hundred  pages.  His  stock  of  medicines  was 
enclosed  in  a tin  box,  and  the  precious  sex»ant,  ther- 
mometer, and  compasses  were  carried  separately.  For 
his  followers  he  had  three  muskets,  for  himself  a rifle 
and  double-barrelled  gun.  The  only  use  the  ammunition 
was  to  be  put  to  was  the  provision  of  lood  ; and,  failing 
the  presence  of  game,  about  twenty  pounds  of  beads  were 


44 


DAVID  LIVINGSTONE. 


taken  to  purchase  food  from  the  natives.  Livingstone’s 
bed  was  a horse-rug,  his  blanket  a sheep-skin.  The 
sole  protection  he  afforded  himself  from  tempestuous 
vveather  was  represented  by  a small  gipsy  tent.  One 
more  item  remains  to  be  noticed.  He  had  been  given 
by  Mr.  Murray  a magic-lantern  with  slides  of  Scripture 
scenes,  and  this  always  afforded  entertainment  to  the 
various  audiences  he  met  in  his  journey.  “ It  was,” 
he  wrote,  “ the  only  mode  of  instruction  I was  ever 
pressed  to  repeat.” 

After  crossing  the  river  Chobe,  and  following  its  left 
bank  for  some  distance,  Livingstone  arrived  at  Sesheke, 
where  for  the  second  time  he  beheld  the  “ great  river  ” 
— the  Zambesi,  or  Leeambye,  as  it  was  called  by  the 
natives.  He  proceeded  in  a north-westerly  direction 
along  the  bank  of  this  river,  until  he  reached  its  con- 
fluence with  the  Leeba.  Here  the  Leeambye,  or 
Zambesi,  branched  off  in  a north-easterly  direction, 
away  from  the  course  he  had  determined  to  follow. 
The  bank  of  the  Leeba,  which  issued  from  Lake 
Dilolo,  in  the  country  of  Lunda,  in  the  north-west, 
consequently  became  his  route.  On  arriving  at  the 
lake,  he  travelled  across  the  country  of  the  Basonge, 
over  the  elevated  ridges,  which  increased  in  height  and 
grandeur  as  he  pressed  forward  ; and  ultimately,  on  the 
31st  of  May,  1854,  he  arrived  at  Loanda,  the  chief  town 
of  the  Portuguese  settlements  on  the  west  coast. 

A few  extracts  from  the  Doctor’s  journal  will  give  a 
glimpse  of  the  various  scenes  he  encountered  in  this 
march  from  Linyanti  to  Loanda,  and  enable  the  reader 
to  realise  to  a slight  extent  some  of  the  many  difficulties 
and  novelties  which  lay  in  his  path : 

“ The  forests  became  more  dense  as  we  went  north. 
We  travelled  much  more  in  the  deep  gloom  of  the  forest 
than  in  open  sunlight  Large  climbing  plants  entwined 
themselves  around  the  trunks  and  branches  of  gigantic 
trees  like  boa-constrictors ; and  they  often  do  constrict 


MISSIONARY  TRAVELS. 


45 


the  trees  by  which  they  rise,  and,  killing  them,  stand 
erect  themselves.  There  were  other  trees  quite  new  to 
my  companions ; many  of  them  ran  up  to  a height  of 
fifty  feet  of  one  thickness  and  without  branches. 

“There  was  considerable  pleasure,  in  spite  of  rain 
and  fever,  in  this  new  scenery.  The  deep  gloom  con- 
trasted strongly  with  the  shadeless  glare  of  the  Kalahari, 
which  has  left  an  indelible  impression  on  my  memory. 
Though  drenched  day  by  day  at  this  time  and  for  months 
afterwards,  it  was  long  before  I could  believe  that  we 
were  getting  too  much  of  a good  thing.  Nor  could  I 
look  at  water  being  thrown  away  without  a slight, 
quick  impression  flitting  across  the  mind  that  we  were 
guilty  of  wasting  it. 

“ The  number  of  little  villages  seemed  about  equal 
to  the  number  ©f  valleys.  ...  Every  village  had  its 
idols  near  it.  This  is  the  case  all  through  the  country 
of  the  Balonda  ; so  that,  when  we  came  to  an  idol  in  the 
woods,  we  always  knew  that  we  were  within  a quarter 
of  an  hour  of  human  habitations. 

“ We  came  to  a most  lovely  valley  about  a mile  and 
a half  wide.  A small  stream  meanders  down  the  centre 
of  this  pleasant  green  glen  ; and  on  a little  rill  which 
flows  into  it  from  the  western  side  stands  the  town  of 
Kabompo— or,  as  he  likes  best  to  be  called,  Shinte.  We 
found  the  town  embowered  in  banana  and  other  tropical 
trees  having  great  expansion  of  leaf.  . . . Here  we 
first  saw  native  huts  with  square  walls  and  round  roofs. 
The  fences  or  walls  of  the  courts  which  surround  the 
huts  are  wonderfully  straight,  and  made  of  upright  poles 
a few  inches  apart,  with  strong  grass  or  leafy  bushes 
neatly  woven  between.  In  the  courts  were  small  plan- 
tations of  tobacco  and  a little  solanaceous  plant  which 
these  Balonda  use  as  a relish  ; also  sugar  and  bananas.” 

When  interviewing  one  of  the  chiefs,  “ I introduced 
the  subject  of  the  Bible;  but  one  of  the  old  councillors 
broke  in,  told  all  he  had  picked  up  from  the  Mambari, 


46 


DAVID  LIVINGSTONE. 


and  glided  off  into  several  other  subjects.  It  is  a misery 
to  speak  through  an  interpreter,  as  I was  now  forced  to 
do.  With  a body  of  men  like  mine,  composed  as  they 
were  of  six  different  tribes,  and  all  speaking  the  language 
of  the  Bechwanas,  there  was  no  difficulty  in  com- 
municating on  common  subjects  with  any  tribe  we 
came  to  ; but  doling  out  a story  in  which  they  felt  no 
interest,  and  which  I understood  only  sufficiently  well 
to  perceive  that  a mere  abridgment  was  given,  was 
uncommonly  slow  work." 

Throughout  this  journey  Livingstone  suffered  greatly 
from  fever,  and  he  arrived  at  Loanda  a mere  “ bag  of 
bones,"  so  reduced  was  his  frame  by  the  constant 
recurrence  of  the  malaria.  Here  is  a remark  which 
shows  that  he  suffered  from  more  than  the  actual 
disease  : “ On  Sunday,  the  19th,  both  I and  several 
of  our  party  were  seized  with  fever,  and  I could  do 
nothing  but  toss  about  in  my  little  tent,  with  the 
thermometer  above  90°  though  this  was  the  beginning 
of  winter,  and  my  men  made  as  much  shade  as  possible 
by  planting  branches  of  trees  all  round  and  over  it. 
We  have,  for  the  first  time  in  my  experience  in  Africa, 
had  a cold  wind  from  the  north.  All  the  winds  from 
that  quarter  are  hot,  and  those  from  the  south  are  cold ; 
but  they  seldom  blow  from  either  direction.” 

No  wonder  was  it  that  Livingstone  rejoiced  at  reach- 
ing Loanda  at  last  1 His  mind  worn  and  depressed 
by  disease  and  care,  his  body  wasted  with  fever  and 
chronic  dysentery,  he  was  in  a position  to  receive 
with  all  the  gratitude  of  a grateful  nature  the  kindness 
of  the  one  Englishman  living  in  Loanda  at  that  time. 
This  was  Mr.  Gabriel,  the  British  commissioner  for 
the  suppression  of  the  slave  trade.  “ Seeing  me  ill," 
wrote  Livingstone,  “ he  benevolently  offered  me  his  bed. 
Never  shall  I forget  the  luxuriant  pleasure  I enjoyed  in 
feeling  myself  again  on  a good  English  couch,  after  six 
months  sleeping  on  the  ground.  I was  soon  asleep  1 " 


AFRICAN  BUFFALOES. 


CHAPTER  IV. 

ACROSS  AFRICA. 

THE  journey  which  had  ended  successfully  at 
Loanda,  in  spite  of  numerous  physical  difficulties 
and  the  extortion  and  hostility  of  certain  chiefs,  had 
not  fulfilled  all  Livingstone  had  hoped.  The  country 
he  had  discovered  was  highly  injurious  to  the  health 
of  Europeans,  and  could  not  therefore  be  regarded  as 
suitable  for  the  great  mission  centre  ever  before  his 
eyes  ; and  the  difficulties  of  the  route  precluded  its 
proving  an  easy  and  safe  high-road  from  the  interior 
of  the  continent  to  the  sea.  He  had  still  before  him 
the  discovery  of  these  two  necessities  for  the  develop- 
ment and  evangelization  of  the  natives,  and  to  a man 
of  Livingstone’s  intense  conscientiousness  this  discovery 
appeared  in  the  light  of  an  immediate  duty.  Moreover, 
his  faithful  Makololo,  who  had  accompanied  him  for  so 
many  hundreds  of  miles  to  the  shores  of  the  great  sea, 
and  who  had  looked  upon  the  white  man’s  “canoe”  in 
the  shape  of  a British  war-vessel,  and  had  declared  it 
to  be  “no  canoe,  but  a town  ” — these  men  could  not  be 
allowed  to  find  their  way  back  to  Linyanti,  Their 
leader  must  take  them  himself. 


48 


DAVID  LIVINGSTONE. 


In  the  meanwhile,  however,  that  leader  was  pro- 
strated by  a severe  attack  of  fever,  lying  for  long  weeks 
on  a bed  of  sickness,  though  carefully  tended  by  his 
fellow-countryman,  Mr.  Gabriel.  On  his  recovery, 
Livingstone  set  about  acknowledging  the  many  kind- 
nesses that  had  been  shown  him  by  the  Portuguese 
authorities,  and  investigating  the  state  of  affairs  in 
Loanda  and  Angola,  and  the  real  policy  of  the 
government. 

The  trade  in  slaves,  of  which  as  he  had  drawn 
nearer  and  nearer  to  the  coast  he  had  met  increasing 
traces  as  well  as  proofs,  was  the  uppermost  idea  in  his 
mind.  Despite  the  hospitality  and  personal  courtesy 
of  the  Portuguese  he  encountered  at  Loanda,  he  could 
not  but  see  that  the  attitude  of  hostility  to  the  slave 
trade  which  they  had  recently  announced  was  a mere 
political  form,  and  that  the  material  as  well  as  the 
oersonal  interests  of  the  officials  led  them  to  foster 
secretly,  if  not  openly,  traffic  in  flesh  and  blood. 
Nothing  could  exceed  his  gratitude  for  their  kindness 
to  him,  but  nothing  could  weaken  his  firm  conviction 
that  many  of  them  had  at  heart  the  prosperity  of  the 
slave  trade. 

Although  Livingstone  was  not  content  with  the 
discoveries  he  had  made  on  his  way  from  Linyanti, 
there  were  not  wanting  others  who  viewed  his  work 
with  the  very  highest  appreciation.  The  Royal  Geo- 
graphical Society  regarded  it  so  favourably,  that  it 
awarded  him  the  Patron’s  Gold  Medal.  Livingstone,  in- 
deed, was  not  unknown  to  the  society,  for  it  had  already 
made  him  a grant  on  his  discovery  of  Lake  Ngami. 

This  last  achievement  was  of  great  importance;  for 
he  had  not  only  passed  through  entirely  new  country, 
taking  most  elaborate  and  careful  notes  of  the  geogra- 
phical facts  which  everywhere  presented  themselves  to 
him,  and  entering  most  fully  into  considerations  on  the 
social  fabric  of  the  inhabitants  and  the  capabilities  oi 


ACROSS  AFRICA. 


49 


their  environment,  but  he  had  also  made  an  enormous 
number  of  astronomical  calculations,  determining  his 
exact  route,  and  vastly  enhancing  the  value  of  his  maps. 
It  was  afterwards  said  in  public  by  his  friend  Sir 
Thomas  Maclear,  the  Astronomer-Royal  at  the  Cape, 
who  helped  largely  by  hints  and  subsequent  corrections 
to  make  those  calculations  complete,  that  he  never 
knew  a man  who,  “ knowing  scarcely  anything  of  the 
method  of  making  geographical  observations  or  laying 
down  positions,  become  so  soon  an  adept.  ...  I say, 
what  that  man  has  done  is  unprecedented.  . . . You 
could  go  to  any  point  across  the  entire  continent,  along 
Livingstone’s  track,  and  feel  certain  of  your  position.” 

These  remarks,  though  partly  referring  to  the  work 
Livingstone  had  just  performed,  were  made  after  his 
journey  across  the  whole  width  of  Africa — a journey  he 
was  now  to  commence.  He  had  taken  six  months  to 
reach  Loanda  from  Linyanti  ; the  return  journey  was 
to  occupy  just  double  that  time,  and  six  months  more 
were  to  be  spent  in  actual  travelling  before  he  reached 
Quilimane. 

In  addition  to  a new  equipment  for  the  arduous 
work  before  him,  Livingstone  took  away  from  Loanda 
various  presents  which  the  officials  and  merchants  sent 
to  Sekeletu. 

The  Makololo  quite  realised  the  benefit  that  direct 
trade  with  the  Portuguese  on  the  coast  would  be  to  them, 
and  their  appreciation  of  all  that  they  had  seen  was 
enhanced  by  gifts  to  themselves.  On  leaving  Loanda, 
Livingstone  gave  them  each  a musket,  besides  taking 
with  him  a quantity  of  cotton  cloth  and  beads,  with 
which  to  “ pay  his  way.”  The  party  was  enlarged  by 
several  carriers,  who  were  required  to  convey  the  in- 
creased baggage ; and  finally,  on  the  20th  of  September, 
1854,  they  set  out  from  Loanda,  and  turned  their  backs 
upon  “ the  white  man’s  sea.” 

The  route  was  almost  identical  with  that  which  they 

4 


50 


DAVID  LIVINGSTON  L. 


had  previously  followed.  Fine  ranges  of  hills  flanked 
the  path  both  northward  and  southward,  and  while  they 
were  in  Angola  coffee  and  cotton  plantations  were 
met  with  frequently.  As  the  country  became  more 
mountainous,  and  the  path  led  through  the  district  of 
Cazeng-),  the  excellence  of  the  coffee — which  grows  wild 
— became  more  marked,  and  produced  a great  impression 
upon  Livingstone.  The  general  fertility  of  this  hilly 
region  is,  in  fact,  indisputable,  but  in  Livingstone's 
time  the  arts  of  cultivation  were  conspicuous  by  their 
absence. 

After  spending  some  time  at  various  places  in  Angola, 
the  party  set  off  again  on  their  eastward  march.  They 
were  now  passing  through  a district  devoid  of  rivers, 
and  the  remarkable  scarcity  of  animal  life  made  the 
path  almost  dreary.  The  herds  of  graceful  antelope, 
the  dark  forms  of  shaggy  buffaloes  and  the  sleek-coated 
elands,  so  common  on  the  banks  of  the  Zambesi,  were 
absent  here.  The  atmosphere  was  still  and  oppressive, 
and  the  glare  of  the  sunlight  on  the  evergreen  foliage 
made  the  occasional  shade  all  the  more  welcome.  For 
the  trees  were  scattered,  and,  although  grass  grew 
prolificly,  scrub  and  bush  were  scant. 

In  the  light  of  Livingstone's  later  labours  on  the 
head-waters  of  the  Congo,  and  of  the  recent  discoveries 
by  Wissman  and  Pogge  in  the  basins  of  the  Coango 
and  Kasai,  Livingstone’s  remarks  on  crossing  these 
two  rivers  are  specially  interesting.  He  learnt  through 
native  sources  that  the  Kasai  and  Coango  finally  converged 
— the  former  receiving  the  latter — and  that  the  united 
streams  were  known  as  the  Zaire,  which  was  an 
alternative  name  for  the  Congo.  He  also  gathered  that 
a large  number  of  streams  combined  to  form  the  Kasai, 
a fact  which  later  discoveries  have  brought  out  in  great 
prominence:  upon  the  map  of  Africa  the  feeders  of 
the  Kasai  present  an  almost  unique  appearance.  The 
large  waterfall  which  he  was  told  interrupted  navigation 


ACROSS  AFRICA. 


51 


from  the  sea  to  the  Kasai  was,  no  doubt,  that  prolonged 
series  of  rapids  and  falls  which  divides  the  upper  and 
lower  Congo,  and  which  Stanley  afterwards  named  after 
the  Doctor  himself.  There  was  no  mention,  however, 
on  the  part  of  the  natives,  of  the  great  river  which 
swept  round  the  equator  in  so  wide  a semicircle,  and 
of  which  the  Kasai  and  Coango  were  simply  affluents. 

Whenever  Livingstone  crossed  the  slave-path,  he 
found  the  natives  suspicious  and  inclined  to  be  unfriendly. 
The  moment  he  left  it,  the  reverse  obtained  : hospitality 
and  extreme  civility  were  the  rule.  Guides  were  given 
without  payment  being  asked,  and  food  was  supplied  to 
the  strangers  as  willingly  as  if  they  had  been  bidden 
guests.  In  only  two  cases,  and  this  when  on  the  slave- 
path,  were  they  required  to  pay  a tribute  for  passing 
through  the  country.  Those  who  remember  what 
Livingstone  had  to  endure  in  after-years  in  Central 
Africa,  and  the  extortions  which  many  who  have  followed 
in  his  tracks  have  been  subjected  to,  will  realise  what 
a boon  to  the  impecunious  traveller  this  freedom  from 
imposts  meant. 

There  was  one  trait  among  the  African  tribes  which 
always  struck  Livingstone.  Very  little  quarrelling  went 
on  among  people  of  the  same  tribe.  At  times  a good 
deal  of  shouting  and  gesticulation,  not  to  mention 
swearing,  would  arise,  but  the  proceedings  usually  ended 
in  a laugh.  He  records,  however,  at  this  stage  of  his 
journey  one  instance  of  a “ row.”  An  old  woman,  who 
was  standing  looking  on  at  the  white  man  and  the 
strangers,  spent  nearly  the  whole  of  an  afternoon  in 
abusing  a young  man  who  formed  with  her  one  of  a 
gaping  group.  He  stood  it  like  a Stoic  for  a long  time, 
and  then  remonstrated  with  more  vigour  than  civility. 
In  a moment  another  man  sprang  at  him,  shouting, 
“ How  dare  you  curse  my  ‘ Mama  ’ ? Then  ensued 
a free  fight,  of  a scuffling  and  hugging  rather  than 
pugilistic  character.  They  finally  separated,  each  going 


52 


DAVID  LIVINGSTONE. 


for  a weapon  to  “ settle  it.”  Both  took  very  good  care, 
though,  not  to  meet  each  other  when  provided  with 
weapons  which  might  make  the  affair  serious.  Among 
themselves  the  natives  cannot  bear  a grudge  for  long— 
at  least  as  far  as  a frank  exhibition  of  it  is  concerned. 

Early  in  June,  soon  after  crossing  the  Kasai,  the 
mountain  ridges  were  left  behind,  and  Livingstone 
entered  on  the  wide  plains  which  on  his  westward 
march  he  had  found  flooded.  Animal  life  rapidly 
increased  in  quantity  and  variety,  and  vegetation 
assumed  a brighter  and  more  luxuriant  character.  At 
one  time  they  marched  across  a wide  belt  of  yellow 
flowers,  at  another  over  an  equally  broad  band  of 
flowers  in  every  shade  of  blue.  Again  and  again  this 
alternation  of  colour  was  repeated.  It  was  while 
crossing  this  beautiful  plain  that  the  Doctor  had  his 
twenty-seventh  attack  of  fever.  Indeed,  throughout 
his  journey  across  Africa,  he  was  seldom  if  ever  free 
from  this  painful  feature  of  African  travel. 

On  arriving  at  Lake  Dilolo,  Livingstone  discovered 
that  this  comparatively  small  body  of  water  emptied  its 
waters  both  into  the  Zambesi  and  the  Kasai ; and  that, 
consequently,  it  distributed  its  contents  as  far  as  the 
Indian  Ocean  on  the  one  side,  and  the  Atlantic  on  the 
other.  It  was  through  this  circumstance  that  the  con- 
tinental structure  of  Africa  became  clear  to  him.  The 
rivers,  in  the  western  portion,  flowed  from  elevated 
ridges  into  the  centre,  and  he  had  learnt  from  the  Arabs 
that  much  the  same  occurred  in  the  eastern  portion. 
But  that  while  one  drainage  system  had  a southerly 
declivity,  the  other  pursued  a northerly  course.  In 
other  words,  the  two  great  drains  of  Central  Africa  are 
the  Congo  and  the  Zambesi. 

In  reference  to  this  great  central  plateau,  Living- 
stone’s own  words  are  well  worth  quoting.  “ I was 
thus  (at  Dilolo)  on  the  watershed  or  highest  point  of 
these  two  great  systems,  but  still  not  more  than  fouj 


ACROSS  AFRICA. 


53 


thousand  feet  above  the  level  of  the  sea,  and  a thou- 
sand feet  lower  than  the  top  of  the  western  ridge  we 
had  already  crossed ; yet,  instead  of  lofty  snow-clad 
mountains  appearing  to  verify  the  conjectures  of  the 
speculative,  we  had  extensive  plains,  over  which  one 
may  travel  a month  without  seeing  anything  higher 
than  an  ant-hill  or  a tree.  I was  not  then  aware  that 
any  one  else  had  discovered  the  elevated  trough  form 
of  the  centre  of  Africa.” 

This  last  remark  is  in  reference  to  Sir  Roderick 
Murchison,  who  put  forward  this  theory  while  Living- 
stone was  buried  in  the  depths  of  the  continent.  It 
was  on  the  eastern  ridge  of  this  basin-like  plateau  that 
the  Doctor  now  hoped  to  find  the  healthy  district  for 
his  much-cherished  missionary  centre. 

Many  of  the  native  chiefs  were  most  kind  to  him. 
Katema,  whose  domains  were  on  the  Lotembwa,  and 
who  had  treated  Livingstone  with  great  hospitality  on 
the  last  journey,  was  now  rewarded  with  a scarlet  cloak, 
ornamented  with  gold  tinsel.  When  he  left  Livingstone, 
he  mounted  on  to  the  shoulders  of  an  attendant.  This 
was  intended  to  be  a dignified  mode  of  quitting  his 
guest;  but,  as  Katema  was  a large  man  of  stout  build, 
and  his  attendant  but  slight  in  frame,  the  tenure  of  his 
seat  was  apparently  precarious,  and  the  general  effect 
not  remote  from  the  ludicrous. 

Shinte,  again,  whose  town  appears  on  the  map  as 
Kabompo,  was  another  friend.  He  received  some 
cotton  cloth  by  way  of  return  for  his  hospitality  and 
goodwill,  and  was  much  struck  with  the  advantages  of 
direct  trade  with  the  white  men  of  the  coast.  “ These 
Mambari,”  he  said,  referring  to  the  natives  who  were 
sent  from  Bihe  by  the  half-caste  traders — “ these  Mam- 
bari cheat  us  by  bringing  little  pieces  only  ; but  the 
next  time  you  pass  I shall  send  men  with  you,  to  trade 
for  me  in  Loanda.” 

Another  friend  in  the  Balonda  country  was  Manenko, 


54 


DAVID  LIVINGSTONE. 


a female  chief.  She  was  unable  to  meet  Livingstone  on 
this  return  journey,  but  sent  her  husband,  Sambanza, 
instead.  To  cement  eternal  friendship,  that  blood- 
brotherhood — here  called  “ kasendi  ” — which  is  so 
common  among  the  tribes  of  Central  Africa,  was 
consummated ; and,  as  Livingstone  gives  a graphic 
description  of  the  ceremony,  it  will  be  well  to  quote  his 
words.  The  ceremony  took  place  between  Sambanza 
and  Pitsane,  one  of  the  best  of  the  Doctor’s  men. 

“The  hands  of  the  parties  are  joined;  small  incisions 
are  made  on  the  clasped  hands,  on  the  pits  of  the 
stomach  of  each,  and  on  the  right  cheeks  and  foreheads. 
A small  quantity  of  blood  is  taken  off  from  these  points 
in  both  parties  by  means  of  a stalk  of  grass.  The  blood 
from  one  person  is  put  into  one  pot  of  native  beer,  and 
that  of  the  second  into  another  ; each  then  drinks  the 
other’s  blood,  and  they  are  supposed  to  become  per- 
petual friends  or  relations.  During  the  drinking  of  the 
beer,  some  of  the  party  continue  beating  the  ground 
with  short  clubs,  and  utter  sentences  by  way  of  ratify- 
ing the  treaty.  The  men  belonging  to  each  then  finish 
the  beer.  The  principals  in  the  performance  of  ‘ kasendi' 
are  henceforth  considered  blood-relations,  and  are  bound 
to  disclose  to  each  other  any  impending  evil."  The  new- 
made  brothers  clench  the  compact  by  presenting  to  each 
other  the  most  valuable  things  they  have  about  them. 

Malarious  fever  and  native  hostility  were  not  the 
only  dangers  that  Livingstone  had  to  face.  The  wild 
animals  which  abound  in  the  Zambesi  basin  often  proved 
formidable  obstacles  in  the  path.  Livingstone,  how- 
ever, never  feared  the  lion  much,  and  in  his  writings 
he  did  his  best  to  dethrone  that  “lord  of  the  desert" 
from  his  place  in  public  estimation.  Both  the  elephant 
and  buffalo  he  considered  more  dangerous  to  the  un- 
offending traveller,  and  on  one  occasion  in  this  journey 
he  narrowly  escaped  from  death  through  the  malicious 
attack  of  a buffalo. 


ACROSS  AFRICA. 


55 


“ As  I walked  slowly,”  he  says,  “ after  the  men,  on 
an  extensive  plain  covered  with  a great  crop  of  grass 
which  was  laid  by  its  own  weight,  I observed  that  a 
solitary  buffalo,  disturbed  by  others  of  my  own  party, 
was  coming  to  me  at  a gallop.  1 glanced  around,  but 
the  only  tree  on  the  plain  was  a hundred  yards  off,  and 
there  was  no  escape  elsewhere.  I therefore  cocked  my 
rifle,  with  the  intention  of  giving  him  a steady  shot  in 
the  forehead,  when  he  should  come  within  three  or 
four  yards  of  me.  The  thought  flashed  across  my 
mind,  ‘What  if  the  gun  misses  fire?’  1 placed  it  at 
my  shoulder  as  he  came  on  at  full  speed,  and  that  is 
tremendous,  though  generally  he  is  a lumbering-looking 
animal  in  his  paces.  A small  bush  and  bunch  of  grass 
fifteen  yards  off  made  him  swerve  a little  and  exposed 
his  shoulder.  I just  heard  the  ball  crack  there  as  1 
fell  flat  on  my  face.  The  pain  must  have  made  him 
renounce  his  purpose,  for  he  bounded  close  past  me  on 
to  the  water,  where  he  was  found  dead.  In  expressing 
my  thankfulness  to  God  among  my  men,  they  were 
much  offended  with  themselves  for  not  being  present  to 
shield  me  from  this  danger.  The  tree  near  me  was  a 
camel-thorn,  and  reminded  me  that  we  had  come  back 
to  the  land  of  thorns  again,  for  the  country  we  had  left 
is  one  of  evergreens.” 

This  passage  is  worth  quoting  for  more  than  the 
adventure  it  describes,  because  we  can  discern  in  it  no 
fewer  than  four  of  the  chief  traits  of  Livingstone's 
character — four  of  the  leading  aspects  of  his  whole  life. 
In  the  first  place,  is  his  coolness  in  the  moment  of 
danger;  next,  his  thankfulness  to  God  and  his  custom 
of  revealing  the  existence  of  a kindly  Providence  to  his 
men  ; third,  the  friendly  relations  that  existed  between 
him  and  them  ; and,  lastly,  the  habit  of  the  naturalist 
which  noted  everything  around  him  with  the  eye  of 
discernment,  however  great  or  near  peril  might  be. 

Later  on,  when  paddling  down  the  Zambesi  in  a 


56 


DAVID  LIVINGSTONE. 


canoe,  he  met  with  another  adventure — this  time  with 
a female  hippopotamus.  This  unwieldly  brute,  with- 
out giving  a moment's  warning,  struck  the  canoe  with 
her  forehead,  sending  one-half  of  it  clean  out  of  the 
water.  One  of  the  men  was  thrown  into  the  river,  and 
the  rest  jumped  in  and  swam  to  shore,  which  luckily 
for  them  was  quite  close.  It  is  usual  for  travellers  by 
water  to  keep  close  to  shore  in  the  day-time,  as  at  that 
time  the  hippopotami,  who  are  sometimes  very  savage, 
frequent  the  middle  of  the  stream.  By  night,  when 
these  brutes  approach  the  banks,  travellers  withdraw 
to  the  middle.  It  was  probably  on  account  of  knowing 
this  that  the  charge  of  the  hippopotamus  was  all  the 
more  surprising  to  Livingstone  and  his  men. 

On  arriving  in  the  Barotse  country,  of  which  many 
of  his  men  were  natives,  there  were  great  rejoicings — 
marred  here  and  there  by  the  discovery  of  the  fickle- 
ness of  their  wives.  These  women  appear  to  have 
considered  an  absence  of  two  years  on  the  part  of  their 
husbands  quite  sufficient  to  warrant  their  re-marriage. 
Livingstone  has  told  us  that  “ Mashauana’s  wife,  who 
had  borne  him  two  children,  was  among  the  number. 
He  wished  to  appear  not  to  feel  it  much,  saying,  ‘ Why, 
wives  are  as  plentiful  as  grass,  and  I can  get  another ; 
she  may  go.’  But  he  would  add,  ‘ If  I had  that  fellow, 
I would  open  his  ears  for  him.’  As  most  of  them  had 
more  wives  than  one,  I tried  to  console  them  by  saying 
that  they  had  still  more  than  I had,  and  that  they  had 
enough  yet ; but  they  felt  the  reflection  to  be  galling, 
that  while  they  were  toiling  another  had  been  devouring 
their  corn.” 

In  September  1855  they  marched  into  Sesheke,  and 
Livingstone  found  some  goods  and  letters,  which  had 
been  lying  there  for  twelve  months,  awaiting  his  re- 
turn Not  only  had  nothing  been  taken,  but  a hut  had 
been  built  over  them  for  protection  from  the  weather. 
Similarly,  on  reaching  Linyanti  he  found  everything 


Livingstone’s  boat  overturned  by 


58 


DAVID  LIVINGSTONE. 


just  as  he  had  left  it.  This  was  a striking  example 
of  honesty,  for  the  Makololo  were  feared  through  a 
wide  region  for  their  marauding  spirit  and  fondness 
for  raiding  among  their  neighbours'  cattle. 

The  return  of  the  travellers  was  a time  of  great 
rejoicing.  All  the  wonderful  things  which  the  Makololo 
had  seen  and  met  with  were  rehearsed  a hundred 
times  to  an  audience  whose  appreciation  never  waned, 
and  whose  appetite  seemed  only  whetted  by  the  tales 
of  the  marvellous  adventures  their  kinsmen  had  gone 
through.  The  presents  that  the  Portuguese  officials 
and  merchants  had  sent  to  Sekeletu  were  duly  de- 
livered ; and  “ on  Sunday,”  says  Livingstone,  “ when 
Sekeletu  made  his  appearance  at  church  in  his  uniform, 
it  attracted  more  attention  than  the  sermon.” 

Livingstone’s  unvarying  kindness  to  his  men,  and  the 
hospitable  nature  of  the  treatment  the  Portuguese  had 
extended  to  his  followers,  were  not  forgotten.  They 
spoke  so  well  of  their  leader,  both  in  public  and  in 
private,  that  he  soon  had  plenty  of  volunteers  clamour- 
ing for  him  to  lead  them  down  the  Zambesi  to  the  sea. 
And  what  pleased  him  more  was  the  fact  that  the 
Makololo  seemed  keenly  alive  to  the  benefit  of  trading 
direct  with  Loanda,  and  at  once  set  about  preparing 
for  another  expedition  thither.  Although  this  first 
trip  on  their  own  account  was  not  altogether  successful, 
it  was  owing  to  their  inexperience  in  trade  rather  than 
any  physical  obstacles  presented  by  the  journey.  And, 
at  any  rate,  there  seemed  every  probability  of  legitimate 
trade  ousting  that  nefarious  traffic  which  had  begun  in 
slaves. 

On  the  3rd  of  November,  1855,  Livingstone  left 
Linyanti  and  resumed  his  long  march  across  Africa. 
Sekeletu  and  a large  number  of  followers  accompanied 
him  for  some  distance,  and  then  bade  him  an  affec- 
tionate farewell.  Livingstone’s  sojourn  among  the 
Makololo  had  been  marked  with  conspicuous  success ; 


ACROSS  AFRICA- 


59 


for,  although  the  actual  conversions  were  few,  the 
influence  of  the  Gospel  of  peace  had  been  shed  about 
their  lives,  and  had  in  many  cases  touched  their  hearts. 
The  Doctor  was  regarded  with  the  deepest  respect,  and 
his  constant  and  continual  revelation  of  the  character  of 
Christ  and  the  benefits  of  Christianity  had  found  many 
attentive  listeners.  His  labours  had  been  rewarded 
with  a well-defined  result,  and  he  left  the  people 
better  than  he  had  found  them.  Livingstone  always 
believed  that,  if  the  seed  were  only  faithfully  sown,  it 
could  not  fail  to  ripen  in  some  degree.  He  considered 
it  was  really  more  efficacious  to  preach  the  Gospel  and 
exhibit  the  consistency  of  a Christian  life  to  large 
numbers  of  people,  and  then  allow  it  to  slowly  mature 
through  the  independent  interest  and  action  of  the 
people  themselves,  than  to  settle  permanently  in  one 
spot,  and  by  a life-long  ministry  among  comparatively 
few  render  those  few  dependent  on  the  missionary’s 
personal  efforts,  and  blind  to  the  active  agency  which 
was  latent  in  themselves.  His  views  on  this  question 
were  directed  by  a wonderful  knowledge  of  the  native 
character,  and  they  would  have  received  a more  uni- 
versal support  and  approval  had  those  who  followed  in 
his  track  been  gifted  with  his  own  perspicuity  of  vision 
and  patient  nobility  of  character. 

A day  or  so  after  parting  from  Sekeletu,  LivingstonC 
came  in  sight  of  the  great  falls  of  the  Zambesi,  and 
which  were  known  to  the  natives  as  “ Mosi-oa-tunya  ” 
— “ smoke  does  sound  there.”  The  noble  river,  a mile 
in  width,  sweeps  down  a broad  and  wooded  valley, 
which,  sloping  gently  back  from  the  banks,  culminates 
in  swelling  hills  some  three  or  four  hundred  feet  in 
height.  Trees  of  many  kinds,  from  the  massive  baobab 
to  the  slender  palm,  grow  in  clumps  or  singly  upon  this 
grassy  slope.  From  the  bosom  of  the  river  arise  palm- 
fostering  islands,  and  on  its  banks  the  silver  cedar 
spreads  its  branches,  the  clustering  fruit  of  the  wild 


6o 


DAVID  LIVINGSTONE. 


date-palm  gleams  like  gold,  and  the  scarlet-fruited 
cypress  lifts  its  dark  head  above  the  surrounding 
foliage.  The  vegetation  is  tropical,  but  the  scene  has 
a repose  which  is  rare  indeed  in  a region  where  all 
forms  of  life  are  exuberant  and  aggressive. 

These  are  some  of  the  beauties  of  the  most  remark- 
able scene  in  the  Zambesi  basin.  But  the  traveller 
passes  them  by  almost  unheeded  ; for  right  in  front  of 
him,  and  riveting  his  gaze,  there  rise  into  the  heavens 
five  lofty  columns  of  vapour,  for  all  the  world  like 
smoke.  These  five  great  towers  of  Nature's  building 
curl  and  bend  to  the  faintest  breeze,  and  yet  never 
cease  to  soar  till  they  are  dissipated  in  the  rarified 
atmosphere  of  greater  elevation,  or,  mingling  with  the 
clouds  of  a spent  storm,  are  lost  from  view.  They  are 
the  sentinels  over  the  most  wonderful  sight  Nature  has 
prepared  for  man  in  Africa — a physical  phenomenon  of 
a pre-eminence  which  induced  Livingstone  to  baptize 
them  with  a name  of  equal  pre-eminence  in  his  own 
country,  and  reveal  to  an  astounded  world  that  unrivalled 
plunge  of  waters  as  the  Victoria  Falls. 

Livingstone  cautiously  paddled  to  an  island  in  mid- 
stream and  on  the  very  brink  of  the  falls,  and  this  is 
what  met  his  view  : “ Creeping  with  awe  to  the  verge, 
I peered  down  into  a large  rent  which  had  been  made 
from  bank  to  bank  of  the  broad  Zambesi.  . . In 

looking  down  into  the  fissure  on  the  right  of  the  island, 
one  sees  nothing  but  a dense  white  cloud,  which,  at  the 
time  we  visited  the  spot,  had  two  bright  rainbows  on 
it.  From  this  cloud  rushed  up  a great  jet  of  vapour 
exactly  like  steam,  and  it  mounted  two  or  three  hun- 
dred feet  high  ; there,  condensing,  it  changed  its  hue 
to  that  of  dark  smoke,  and  came  back  in  a constant 
shower.  . . . On  the  left  of  the  island  we  see  the  water 
at  the  bottom,  a white  rolling  mass  moving  away  to 
the  prolongation  of  the  fissure,  which  branches  off  near 
the  left  bank  of  the  river.  . . . The  entire  falls  are 


ACROSS  AFRICA. 


62 


DAVID  LIVINGSTONE. 


simply  a crack  made  in  a hard  basaltic  rock  from  the 
right  to  the  left  bank  of  the  Zambesi,  and  then  pro- 
longed from  the  left  bank  away  through  thirty  or  forty 
miles  of  hills.  . . . The  walls  of  this  gigantic  crack  are 
perpendicular,  and  composed  of  one  homogeneous  mass 
of  rock.” 

These  falls  are  about  three  hundred  feet  high  and 
eighteen  hundred  yards  in  width.  The  fissure  into 
which  they  plunge  is  so  narrow  as  to  be  invisible  till 
the  verge  is  reached. 

Livingstone  was  so  impressed  with  this  splendid 
creation  that  he  retraced  his  steps  and  persuaded 
Sekeletu  to  visit  the  falls  with  him.  The  effect  on  the 
native  mind  was  one  of  intense  awe. 

The  discovery  of  the  falls,  taken  in  conjunction  with 
many  other  facts  known  to  him,  led  Livingstone  to 
conclude  that  in  earlier  times  a large  portion  of  Central 
Africa  had  been  one  vast  series  of  lakes,  and  that  these 
lakes  had  disappeared  in  the  fissures  which  the  forces 
of  upheaval  had  created  in  the  elevated  ridges  which  rim 
the  central  basin.  As  instances  of  similar  outlets,  the 
Congo  and  the  Orange  Rivers,  flowing  through  deep 
and  narrow  gorges  on  reaching  the  external  ridge,  may 
be  cited.  In  passing  over  the  apex  of  the  ridge  in  the 
neighbourhood  of  the  Zambesi,  Livingstone  found  it 
five  hundred  feet  in  height,  and  these  eastern  highlands 
more  healthy  than  those  he  had  already  discovered  in 
the  west.  There  was,  moreover,  the  additional  advantage 
of  a highway  for  civilizing  and  commercial  purposes  in 
the  great  Zambesi  River.  He  had  therefore  at  last 
come  to  a region  in  which  he  might  look  with  some 
certainty  of  success  for  a district  entirely  suitable  to 
Europeans,  and  capable  of  being  utilized  as  a great 
missionary  settlement  and  centre. 

And  at  this  stage  of  the  journey  the  natives  were 
both  hospitable  and  amenable  to  influence.  “All,” 
he  says,  “ expressed  great  satisfaction  on  hearing  my 


Livingstone's  party  attacked  by  buffaloes. 


64 


DAVID  LIVINGSTONE. 


message,  as  I directed  their  attention  to  Jesus  as  their 
Saviour,  whose  word  is,  ‘ Peace  on  eartli  and  good 
will  to  men.’  They  called  out,  ‘We  are  tired  of  flight 
give  us  rest  and  sleep.’”  Later  on,  however,  the 
natives,  mistaking  him  for  a half-caste  Portuguese, 
showed  a good  deal  of  hostility,  and  Livingstone 
very  narrowly  escaped  with  his  life  from  the  people 
of  Mpende,  who  dwelt  near  the  confluence  of  the 
Loangwa  and  Zambesi. 

The  country  through  which  they  were  passing  was 
exceedingly  beautiful.  At  first  furrowed  by  wide  fertile 
glens,  and  afterwards  opening  out  into  a luxuriant 
plain,  abounding  with  animal  life  and  vegetation,  and 
possessing  the  inestimable  advantage  of  salubrity,  the 
Doctor  felt  that  he  had  at  last  reached  the  land  of 
promise  for  the  missionary  cause.  Many  of  the  hills 
were  of  pure  white  marble,  and  pink  marble  formed 
the  bed  of  more  than  one  of  the  contributory  streams. 
Upon  the  plains  enormous  herds  of  zebras,  buffaloes, 
and  elephants  grazed  between  the  patches  of  dense 
forest  which  here  and  there  studded  the  grassy  level. 
Through  this  country  the  Zambesi  rolled  down  toward 
the  coast  at  the  rate  of  about  four  miles  an  hour,  while 
flocks  of  water-fowl  swarmed  upon  its  banks  or  took 
their  flight  across  its  waters. 

So  plentiful  was  game,  that  the  leading  men  had  fre- 
quently to  shout  to  the  elephants  or  buffaloes  which  stood 
in  their  path.  Sometimes  an  elephant  would  charge  right 
through  the  little  party;  at  another  time  it  would  be 
a buffalo.  Upon  one  occasion  several  buffaloes  sud- 
denly charged  at  full  gallop  into  their  midst,  one  of 
them  tossing  a Makololo  high  into  the  air.  Wonder- 
ful to  relate,  he  fell  upon  the  ground  uninjured  1 He 
had  been  carried  some  distance  on  the  horns  of  the 
buffalo,  and  then  tossed;  yet  not  only  was  no  bone 
broken,  but  even  the  skin  was  uninjured.  The  man 
was  carefully  “ shampooed  ” — or,  to  use  a phrase  more 


ACROSS  AFRICA. 


<55 


in  vogue  just  now,  massaged — and  in  a few  days  was 
actively  engaged  in  hunting  buffaloes  for  food. 

In  March  Livingstone  arrived  at  Tete,  the  furthest 
outpost  of  the  Portuguese,  and  was  most  kindly  received 
by  the  governor.  Fever  again  prostrated  him,  and  it 
was  not  till  the  end  of  April  that  he  could  set  out 
once  more  for  Quilimane.  He  left  his  Makololo  men 
at  Tete.  Nearly  three  years  elapsed  before  he  rejoined 
them,  but  he  had  promised  to  return  and  take  them 
home,  and,  believing  in  him  implicitly,  they  had 
remained. 

Livingstone  went  from  Tete  to  Sena,  and,  though 
suffering  greatly  from  fever,  he  pushed  on  as  soon  as  he 
could  move,  and  passing  the  important  affluence  of  the 
Shire  River  finally  reached  Quilimane,  and  gazed  on  the 
gleaming  waters  of  the  Indian  Ocean  on  the  20th  of 
May,  1856.  “Here,”  he  wrote,  “I  was  received  into 
the  house  of  Colonel  Nunes,  one  of  the  best  men  in 
the  country.  . . . One  of  the  discoveries  I have  made 
is  that  there  are  vast  numbers  of  good  people  in  the 
world,  and  I do  most  devoutly  tender  my  unfeigned 
thanks  to  that  Gracious  One  who  mercifully  watched 
over  me  in  every  position,  and  influenced  the  hearts  of 
both  black  and  white  to  regard  me  with  favour.” 


AFRICAN  COCKATOOS. 


CHAPTER  V. 

HOME. 

AFTER  waiting  six  weeks  on  the  “great  mud- 
bank,  surrounded  by  extensive  swamps  and  rice 
grounds,”  which  forms  the  site  of  Quilimane,  Livingstone 
embarked  in  a British  gun-boat  for  the  Mauritius.  Here 
he  experienced  the  same  generous  hospitality  which 
had  been  extended  to  him  at  Quilimane,  and  when  he 
sailed  in  November  for  England  it  was  with  recuperated 
strength  and  some  of  his  old  sturdy  Scotch  vigour. 
After  narrowly  escaping  shipwreck  in  the  Mediterranean, 
he  finally  reached  England  on  the  9th  of  December,  1856. 

The  welcome  that  awaited  him  partook  of  a national 
character,  for  from  end  to  end  of  Great  Britain  con- 
gratulations and  honours  came  pouring  in  upon  him, 
and  the  whole  country  rang  with  his  name  and  his 
achievements  in  Africa.  In  the  midst  of  much  to  cause 
thankfulness  and  joy,  there  was  a sorrow  which  he  felt 
most  keenly.  Beside  the  hearth  of  his  cottage  home 
at  Blantyre  stood  his  father’s  empty  chair.  While 
Livingstone  was  on  his  homeward  journey,  the  father 
to  whom  he  had  longed  to  tell  his  wonderful  expe- 
riences and  who  had  looked  so  eagerly  for  his  return, 


HOME.  67 

crowned  an  upright  life  by  dying  the  death  of  a 
righteous  man. 

On  the  other  hand,  the  meeting  of  the  long-separated 
husband  and  wife  was  a source  of  unmixed  happiness. 
These  had  been  trying  years  for  Mrs.  Livingstone,  who 
had  reared  her  family  on  straitened  means,  and  with 
a heart  which  had  never  been  free  from  anxiety  since 
she  left  her  husband  at  Capetown.  Henceforth,  as  it 
seemed  then,  they  were  never  to  be  separated  again. 
Mary  Livingstone  accompanied  her  husband  when  he 
returned  to  Africa,  and,  though  once  more  separated 
from  him  on  account  of  her  ill-health,  she  had  the 
unspeakable  satisfaction  of  rejoining  him  when  in 
Nyassaland,  and  being  comforted  by  his  strong  faith 
and  deep  affection  when  she  lay  at  Shupanga  on  her 
death-bed. 

But  we  anticipate.  The  Royal  Geographical  Society 
of  course  called  a meeting  to  greet  their  distinguished 
medallist.  Sir  Roderick  Murchison,  with  whom  Living- 
stone had  been  in  constant  correspondence,  presided, 
and  among  those  present  were  three  old  friends  of  the 
early  Bakwain  days — Oswell,  Steele,  and  Vardon.  The 
eleven  thousand  miles  which  Livingstone  had  travelled 
through  Africa,  “ in  sickness  and  in  health,”  were  made 
the  subject  of  great  congratulations,  and  the  nobility 
of  the  Doctor’s  character  received  a full  and  sympa- 
thetic acknowledgment.  An  unusually  distinguished 
assembly  accorded  the  intrepid  traveller — the  Christian 
missionary — the  heartiest  greeting  and  most  unstinted 
approval. 

Following  on  the  meeting  of  the  Geographical 
Society  came  that  of  the  London  Missionary  Society. 
The  reception  he  received  was  equally  warm  and 
cordial,  although  Livingstone  had  made  up  his  mind 
to  sever  his  connection  with  the  Society.  To  under- 
stand the  reason  for  this  we  must  go  back  a little. 

Vhen  Livingstone  emerged  from  the  dense  obscurity 


68 


DAVID  LIVINGSTONE. 


of  the  interior  of  Africa  and  came  in  touch  with  the 
civilized  world  at  Quilimane,  he  received  a letter  from 
the  Society  to  the  effect  that  “ they  were  restricted  in 
their  power  of  aiding  plans  connected  only  remotely 
with  the  spread  of  the  Gospel,  and  that  the  financial 
circumstances  of  the  Society  were  not  such  as  to  afford 
any  ground  of  hope  that  it  would  be  in  a position, 
within  any  definite  period,  to  enter  upon  untried, 
remote,  and  difficult  fields  of  labour.”  Livingstone 
took,  as  any  other  man  for  the  matter  of  that  would 
have  taken,  this  to  be  throwing  a “ wet  blanket  ” upon 
his  enthusiasm,  and  a hint  that  no  support  could  be 
looked  for  in  further  explorations  of  a similar  nature. 
The  Society  appeared  desirous  of  shelving  the  Doctor’s 
plans  ; so  he  did  what  he  considered  best  under  the 
circumstances,  and  shelved  the  Society.  Referring  to 
this  letter  in  his  work,  Livingstone  said,  “ This  has 
been  explained  since  as  an  effusion  caused  by  temporary 
financial  depression  ; but,  feeling  perfect  confidence  in 
my  Makololo  friends,  I was  determined  to  return  and 
trust  to  their  generosity.  The  old  love  of  independence, 
which  I had  so  strongly  before  joining  the  Society, 
again  returned.”  In  other  words,  the  connection  be- 
tween him  and  the  London  Missionary  Society  was  to 
cease. 

At  the  public  reception  given  by  the  Society  to 
Livingstone,  nothing  but  kindly  things  were  said,  and 
Lord  Shaftesbury,  who  presided,  paid  a well-deserved 
tribute  to  the  wife  of  the  great  explorer.  “ That  lady 
was  born,”  said  he,  “ with  one  distinguished  name, 
which  she  changed  for  another.  She  was  born  a 
Moffat,  and  she  became  a Livingstone.”  The  public  is 
better  informed  now  than  it  was  then,  or  Lord  Shaftes- 
bury would  have  had  no  need  to  say  one  word  more  in 
the  praise  of  the  dutiful  daughter  of  Robert  Moffat,  and 
the  courageous  wife  of  David  Livingstone. 

A month  later,  he  was  beginning  his  first  book — that 


HOME. 


69 


volume  which,  under  the  title  of  “ Missionary  Travels,” 
was  destined  to  win  a world-wide  reputation  as  a singu- 
larly complete  and  able  history  of  his  labours  and 
travels  in  Africa.  The  broad  view  which  he  took  of 
his  duty  as  a missionary,  and  the  conscientiousness 
with  which  he  acted  up  to  it  on  every  occasion,  are 
remarkably  conspicuous  in  the  pages  of  that  most 
interesting  work.  Many  subjects  are  treated  in  it, 
and  all  with  scientific  fidelity  to  fact.  There  is  no 
attempt  at  ornate  diction,  and  no  trace  of  exaggeration. 
Those  “travellers’  tales”  of  daring  and  adventure,  which 
are  so  frequent  in  works  of  a similar  nature,  are  not  to  be 
found  there.  When  a remarkable  discovery  or  a real 
clanger  is  noted,  the  language  employed  is  so  calm  that 
1 casual  reader  might  imagine  the  writer  indifferent  to 
their  importance.  Here  we  find  a careful  description 
of  some  geographical  fact,  and  there  one  of  a com- 
mercial opportunity.  Anthropology,  botany,  geology, 
astronomy,  medicine,  commerce,  sociology,  statistics, 
folk-lore,  philology,  and  other  important  branches  of 
universal  knowledge  are  all  represented.  Such  ex- 
amples of  them  as  he  found  are  described  with  the 
careful  exactness  of  the  student,  and  discussed  with  a 
breadth  of  view  peculiar  to  the  philosopher.  And  yet 
through  all  this  intricate  fabric  of  fact — through  warp 
and  woof — there  runs  the  golden  thread  which  directed 
and  animated  all  his  efforts,  and  hallowed  the  labours 
of  his  life.  His  intense  desire  to  benefit  Africa  and  the 
African — to  'id  the  one  of  the  blot  with  which  slavery 
had  darkened  it,  and  to  bring  to  the  other  the  abiding 
benefits  of  the  Gospel  of  peace  and  good  will — glows 
through  all  the  notes  of  the  naturalist,  and  illumines  the 
gloomiest  page  in  which  the  degradation  of  the  native 
races  is  recorded.  The  book  is  a mirror  of  the  scenes 
and  people  he  encountered,  and  an  unintentional  monu- 
ment to  his  own  noble  devotion  to  a self-imposed  duty. 

Financially,  too,  the  book  was  a success.  Published 


70 


DAVID  LIVINGSTONE. 


at  a guinea,  the  first  edition  of  twelve  thousand  was  at 
once  exhausted.  Eminent  specialists  vied  with  the  Press 
in  giving  it  unbounded  approval.  The  practical  world 
of  commerce  was  as  much  delighted  as  the  scientific 
circles  or  the  Christian  churches.  Possibilities  hitherto 
undreamed  of — possibilities  for  financial  as  well  as  phil- 
anthropic schemes — were  revealed  when  Livingstone 
gave  this  record  of  his  missionary  travels  to  the  reading 
world. 

On  all  sides  and  by  every  one  he  was  sought  At 
Glasgow,  Dublin,  Edinburgh,  Oxford,  Cambridge, 
Hamilton,  and  his  own  native  Blantyre,  he  gave 
addresses,  which  were  listened  to  with  equal  interest  by 
the  learned  and  the  unlearned,  the  old  and  the  young. 
Honorary  degrees  were  conferred  on  him  by  Oxford, 
Cambridge,  and  Glasgow.  He  was  elected  to  the 
Royal  Society  on  the  proposal  of  a distinguished  fellow 
“ on  behalf  of  the  Queen.”  The  freedom  of  the  City 
of  London,  of  Glasgow,  of  Edinburgh,  and  other  cities 
was  bestowed  on  him.  The  medals  of  the  French 
Geographical  Society  and  the  Society  of  Arts  were 
awarded  him,  and  in  person  he  received  the  gold  medal 
of  the  Royal  Geographical  Society.  He  was  elected 
to  the  corresponding  membership  of  all  the  chief  geo- 
graphical societies  of  the  world,  and  his  own  College 
of  Physicians  and  Surgeons  at  Glasgow  welcomed  him 
to  the  rare  privilege  of  an  “ Honorary  Fellowship.” 

A list  of  some  of  the  many  distinctions  which  were 
showered  upon  this  “ plain,  single-minded  man,  some- 
what attenuated  by  years  of  toil,  and  with  a face  tinged 
by  the  sun  of  Africa,”  should  not  be  closed  without  a 
reference  to  his  visit  to  Windsor.  The  Queen,  who 
never  shows  to  more  advantage  than  when  honouring 
some  illustrious  subject  by  that  graceful  courtesy 
for  which  she  herself  is  so  distinguished,  sent  for 
Livingstone.  In  the  course  of  the  interview  she  asked 
many  thoughtful,  searching  questions,  and  received- 


HOME. 


71 


replies  which  amused  as  well  as  informed.  Here  is 
one.  Livingstone  told  her  that  the  African  chiefs  were 
always  asking  him  if  his  chief  were  rich,  and  when 
answered  in  the  affirmative,  would  ask,  “ How  many 
cows  has  she  ? ” With  this  method  of  gauging  her 
wealth,  the  Queen  was  highly  amused. 

This  quiet  man  from  the  wilds  of  Africa  was  made, 
against  his  will,  the  “ lion  of  the  season.”  Mobbed 
in  Regent  Street ; pointedly  referred  to  in  church  by 
an  indiscreet  clergyman  who  had  noticed  him,  and 
consequently  rushed  at  by  the  congregation— even 
across  the  pews — as  soon  as  the  last  “Amen  ” and  long 
before  decency  allowed  them  ; overwhelmed  with  invi- 
tations to  banquets  and  the  dinner-tables  of  the  influ- 
ential and  wealthy  ; written  to  by  a legion  of  inquisitive 
rather  than  inquiring  persons  ; called  on  and  accosted 
by  “somebodies”  and  “ nobodies  ” with  equal  impro- 
priety— Livingstone  found  much  of  his  life  in  London 
more  lively  than  pleasant.  Indeed,  during  a period 
of  his  stay  in  England,  he  lived  in  the  suburbs  and 
the  country  rather  than  risk  the  inconvenient  if  kindly 
attentions  that  were  paid  to  him.  Not  that  he  was 
insensible  to  the  feeling  which  was  exhibited  towards 
him,  but  that  he  desired  for  himself  a little  of  the 
consideration  which  he  was  always  ready  to  accord  to 
others. 

Livingstone’s  views  on  Africa  and  the  work  to  be 
done  in  its  vast  equatorial  regions  were  emphatic.  He 
placed  the  slave  tade,  openly  introduced  by  the  Arabs 
and  bolstered  up  by  the  Portuguese,  at  the  head  of  the 
abuses  to  be  swept  away.  As  long  as  it  was  permitted 
to  exist,  he  saw  plainly  that  no  real  advance  could  be 
made  in  the  civilization  and  conversion  of  the  native 
races.  The  distrust  which  it  bred  in  the  native  mind, 
and  the  hostility  of  the  traders  to  those  who  would 
suppress  it,  rendered  the  journeys  of  the  missionary 
perilous  and  his  labours  futile.  That  legitimate  trade 


72 


DAVID  LIVINGSTONE. 


which  the  introduction  of  commerce  would  provide  was, 
in  Livingstone’s  opinion,  the  most  potent  weapon  with 
which  to  lay  this  hideous  spectre.  It  appealed  directly 
to  the  self-interests  of  the  natives,  and  revealed  to  them 
the  value  of  labour.  While  the  resources  of  fertile 
Central  Africa  were  undeveloped,  the  value  of  this 
labour  was  obscured ; but  directly  it  was  perceived 
that  by  cultivating  the  soil,  producing  raw  material, 
and  conveying  it  to  centres  of  trade  an  enormous 
increase  in  prosperity  would  ensue,  the  natives — who 
were  keenly  alive  to  the  main  chance — would  sponta- 
neously desert  the  traffic  in  blood  and  flesh,  and  utilize 
their  captives  in  war,  or  those  of  their  own  tribes  whom 
they  sold,  for  the  more  remunerative  purposes  of  agri- 
culture and  commerce.  The  slave  trade,  by  emptying 
the  country  of  this  labour  material,  was  practically 
rendering  such  a state  of  things  impossible,  and  shut- 
ting up  the  interior  in  all  its  hopeless  degradation  and 
helplessness.  By  abolishing  the  slave  trade,  therefore, 
legitimate  commerce  and  the  introduction  of  the  ways 
and  means  of  civilization  were  made  as  probable  as 
they  were  possible;  and,  hand  in  hand  with  civilization, 
the  teachings  of  the  Christian  missionary  would  dignify 
labour,  inculcate  peace,  secure  honesty,  and  generally 
elevate  the  whole  of  the  population. 

With  the  slave  trade  but  little  was  possible ; the 
slave  trade  suppressed,  all  things  would  seem  easy. 

This  and  much  more  were  the  texts  of  every  speech 
that  Livingstone  made  in  England.  Referring  to  his 
approaching  departure,  he  said  in  one  of  his  speeches 
at  Cambridge  : “ For  my  own  part,  I intend  to  go  out 
as  a missionary,  and  hope  boldly,  but  with  civility,  to 
state  the  truth  of  Christianity,  and  my  belief  that  those 
who  do  not  possess  it  are  in  error.  My  object  in  Africa 
is  not  only  the  elevation  of  man,  but  that  the  country 
might  be  so  opened  that  man  might  see  the  need  of  his 
soul’s  salvation.’’ 


HOME. 


73 


Upon  another  occasion,  when  writing  to  one  who 
thought  there  was  too  much  “ geography  ” and  not 
enough  “grace”  in  his  book,  he  said:  “ My  views  of 
what  is  missionary  are  not  so  contracted  as  those  whose 
ideal  is  a dumpy  sort  of  man  with  a Bible  under  his 
arm.  I have  laboured  in  bricks  and  mortar,  at  the 
forge  and  carpenter’s  bench,  as  well  as  in  preaching 
and  medical  practice.  I feel  that  ‘ 1 am  not  my  own.’  I 
am  serving  Christ  when  shooting  a buffalo  for  my  men, 
or  taking  an  astronomical  observation,  or  writing  to  one 
of  His  children  who  forget,  during  the  little  moment 
of  penning  a note,  that  charity  which  is  eulogized  as 
‘ thinking  no  evil.’  ” 

In  fact,  as  Livingstone  says  more  than  once  in  his 
book,  the  leading  influence  of  his  life  and  the  most 
powerful  motive  to  all  his  actions  are  contained  in 
these  words  : “ The  end  of  the  geographical  feat  is  but 
the  beginning  of  the  missionary  enterprise.” 

Notwithstanding  the  excellent  reasons  which  he  ad- 
duced to  the  contrary,  there  were  not  wanting  those 
who  thought  he  had  submerged  the  missionary  in  the 
explorer.  His  firm  but  courteous  refusal  to  act  any 
longer  as  an  agent  of  the  London  Missionary  Society — 
for  taking  which  step  he  said  afterwards,  “ I never  felt 
a single  pang  ” — placed  him  in  a singularly  independent 
position  when  such  an  objection  was  raised,  and  gave 
him  a practical  argument  which  w?as  hard  to  confute  : 
“ Knowing  that  some  persons  do  believe  that  opening 
up  a new  country  to  the  sympathies  of  Christendom 
was  not  a proper  work  for  an  agent  of  a missionary 
society  to  engage  in,  I now  refrain  from  taking  any 
salary  from  the  Society  with  which  I was  connected,  so 
no  pecuniary  loss  is  sustained  by  any  one.” 

Many  of  the  Portuguese — especially  those  materially 
interested — were  furious  with  Livingstone  for  his  expo- 
sure of  their  support  of  the  slave  trade,  and  for  pointing 
out  how  opposed  their  policy  was  to  the  development 


74 


DAVID  LIVINGSTONE. 


of  commerce.  Livingstone,  however,  made  out  too 
good  a case  for  even  the  “ special  pleaders  ” of  that 
nation’s  colonial  policy.  The  prevalence  of  barbarism 
in  Portuguese  settlements,  the  shadowy  authority  of  the 
officials  over  even  the  districts  which  were  nearest  to 
the  coast,  the  exclusion  of  commerce  other  than  the 
nefarious  system  they  monopolized,  the  obstructive 
tariff  imposed  at  the  two  or  three  ports  which  they 
possessed,  their  ignorance  of  the  country  behind  the 
maritime  belt,  and  their  unpleasant  relations  with  such 
tribes  as  adjoined  them,  were  points  which  one  and  all 
Livingstone  hit  right  on  the  head  and  drove  home  with 
convincing  force. 

The  national  feeling,  the  opinion  of  the  authorities, 
and  the  work  and  writings  of  Livingstone  himself  could 
have  but  one  conclusion.  In  February  1858,  he  was 
appointed  British  consul  for  East  Africa  and  the  dis- 
tricts of  the  interior,  and  at  the  same  time  offered  the 
leadership  of  an  expedition  for  the  exploration  of  Central 
and  Eastern  Africa. 

The  object  of  the  expedition  was  not  merely  geogra- 
phical. The  officers  in  charge  were  to  encourage  by 
example  and  precept  the  cultivation  of  such  industries 
as  would  enable  the  natives  to  embark  on  a reciprocal 
trade  with  Great  Britain  ; to  inquire  into  the  extent  and 
utility  of  such  resources  as  were  at  hand  and  capable 
of  being  immediately  realised  ; and,  above  all,  to  influ- 
ence the  minds  of  the  natives  by  “ an  example  of  con- 
sistent moral  conduct,”  to  treat  them  kindly  and  minister 
to  their  bodily  comfort,  to  teach  them  the  simple  arts 
of  manufacture,  to  instruct  them  in  the  broad  virtues 
of  the  Christian  faith,  and  to  insist — in  season  and,  if 
necessary,  out  of  season — -on  the  benefits  of  their  living 
together  in  unity,  peace,  and  goodwill. 

With  such  an  object,  there  was  little  doubt  that 
Livingstone  would  gladly  take  over  the  control  of  the 
Zambesi  expedition.  As  consul  his  position  with 


HOME. 


75 


regard  to  the  Portuguese  was  assured,  for  he  came  to 
the  task  with  the  credentials  of  the  British  Government; 
and  the  position  itself  enabled  him  to  make  more 
extended  investigations,  and  placed  at  his  disposal 
a greater  degree  of  power.  His  own  views  of  the 
means  by  which  the  much-to-be  desired  end  was  to  be 
accomplished  were  ably  summed  up  in  his  instructions 
to  the  officers  of  the  expedition,  a few  words  from  which 
may  be  quoted  here. 

“We  come  among  them  (the  natives)  as  members 
of  a superior  race,  and  servants  of  a government  that 
desires  to  elevate  the  more  degraded  portions  of  the 
human  family.  We  are  adherents  of  a benign,  holy 
religion,  and  may  by  consistent  conduct,  and  wise, 
patient  efforts,  become  the  harbingers  of  peace  to  a 
hitherto  distracted  and  trodden-down  race.” 

Thus  it  is  very  evident  that  Livingstone  had  no 
idea  of  merging  the  missionary  in  the  explorer  to  the 
immolation  of  the  former,  but  that  he  was  about  to 
exemplify  in  his  own  person  a dual  office  for  the  first 
time  exhibited  to  the  world — that  of  the  Consul- 
Missionary. 


CHAPTER  VI. 

/N  THE  ZAMBESI  COUNTRY. 

ON  the  loth  of  March,  1858,  the  Zambesi  Expedi- 
tion left  England,  and,  sailing  via  the  Cape  of 
Good  Hope,  arrived  off  the  mouths  of  the  great  river 
in  the  following  May. 

The  short  stay  that  was  made  at  Capetown  en 
route  proved  an  eventful  one  to  Livingstone.  It  was 
considered  better  that  his  wife,  who  was  in  poor  health 
and  suffered  much  from  fever  symptoms,  should  remain 
for  a while  with  her  parents,  who  were  then  at  Cape- 
town, and  rejoin  her  husband  at  a later  date.  This 
was  a disappointment  to  the  latter  as  deep  as  it  was 
unexpected,  and,  although  he  does  not  refer  specially 
to  it  in  his  published  journals,  in  letters  to  friends  he 
characterizes  the  separation  as  “ a great  trial.” 

There  was,  however,  some  compensation  prepared 
for  him  in  the  enthusiastic  reception  he  was  accorded 
by  the  people  of  Capetown  and  the  authorities  of 
the  Colony.  It  will  be  remembered  that  when  last 
at  Capetown,  in  1852,  he  was  regarded  with  consider- 
able disfavour,  owing  to  the  reports  which  the  Boers 


IN  THE  ZAMBESI  COUNTRY. 


77 


had  brought  to  the  Colony.  Now,  however,  the  tables 
were  turned,  and  the  man  whom  the  people  of  Cape- 
town delighted  to  specially  honour  was  Livingstone. 
At  a great  and  enthusiastic  public  meeting,  the  governor, 
Sir  George  Grey,  presented  him  with  the  sum  of  eight 
hundred  guineas,  enclosed  in  a silver  casket,  which  had 
been  raised  by  public  subscription  as  a testimonial  to 
the  value  of  the  services  he  had  performed — which 
services,  it  was  seen,  would  largely  benefit  Africa  as 
a whole,  and  Cape  Colony  in  particular. 

Among  the  members  of  the  expedition  were  Charles 
Livingstone,  the  brother  of  the  Doctor,  who  had 
returned  from  clerical  work  in  America  on  purpose  to 
assist  him  in  his  further  explorations;  and  Dr.  (now 
Sir)  John  Kirk,  who  was  to  be  the  naturalist  and 
physician  of  the  expedition,  and  subsequently  for 
many  years  our  highly-esteemed  consul  at  Zanzibar. 
The  party  brought  with  them,  packed  in  sections,  a 
small  steam-launch  for  use  on  the  Zambesi,  and  which 
was  named  Ma-Robert  after  his  wife,  who  had  been  given 
that  name  by  the  Bakwains  in  accordance  with  their 
custom  of  naming  the  mother  (Ma)  after  her  first-born. 

The  delta  of  the  Zambesi  is  of  considerable  extent, 
its  coast-side,  from  the  Quilimane  branch  on  the  north 
to  the  Luabo  on  the  south,  being  some  eighty  miles 
in  length.  The  Quilimane  channel,  however,  is  now 
choked  by  vegetation,  and  consequently  dry  during  the 
greater  part  of  the  year.  The  Luabo  is  the  chief 
mouth,  and  the  river  is  navigable  inland  without  a 
single  break  for  nearly  three  hundred  miles — to  the 
Portuguese  settlement  of  Tete.  A few  miles  above  the 
apex  of  the  delta  the  river  receives  the  Shire,  which 
is  the  overflow  of  the  important  Nyassa  Lake.  The 
Zambesi  is  the  great  drain  of  the  pastoral  belt  of  South 
Africa,  and  its  basin  has  an  area  of  some  eight  hundred 
thousand  square  miles — or,  in  other  words,  is  more  than 
four  times  the  size  of  France.  The  importance  of  the 


;8 


DAVID  LIVINGSTONE. 


river  and  its  fertile  basin  is  great,  and  the  recent  labours 
of  the  English  and  Scotch  in  various  parts  of  the 
country  which  lie  within  its  drainage  system  have  re- 
vealed with  emphasis  the  value  of  the  discoveries  and 
pioneering  of  Livingstone  a generation  ago. 

The  shores  of  the  delta  are  low,  closely  embraced 
by  a mangrove  jungle,  and  pierced  on  all  sides  by 
those  stagnant  lagoons  which  the  dense  and  spreading 
roots  of  the  mangrove  invariably  create  or  foster.  For 
some  twenty  miles  inland  from  the  Kongone  mouth,  up 
which  the  Ma-Robert  ultimately  steamed,  the  man- 
grove jungle  was  found  to  be  very  dense ; and  Living- 
stone, making  every  effort  to  reach  a more  healthy 
region,  passed  through  a belt  of  wide  level  plains  of 
rich  alluvial  soil,  covered  with  grass  which  grew  to 
a height  of  over  ten  feet.  The  natives  of  this  belt 
of  country  live  in  houses  raised  on  piles  above  the 
reach  of  flood,  and  entered  by  ladders.  The  fertility  of 
the  soil  is  indisputable,  and  is  capable  of  providing 
Europe  with  an  enormous  amount  of  sugar  and  rice, 
for  the  cultivation  of  which  its  low  level  and  moist 
nature  render  it  admirably  adapted.  From  within 
twenty  miles  of  the  sea  to  the  head  of  the  delta  this 
region  of  fertile  plains  extends,  and,  although  the  climate 
is  by  no  means  suitable  for  the  European,  a vast  in- 
dustry might  have  arisen  here,  had  not  the  folly  and 
greed  of  the  Portuguese,  by  indulging  in  the  slave  trade, 
emptied  the  country  of  the  needful  labour. 

At  Shupanga,  the  elevation  of  the  country  is  some- 
what greater,  and  as  a consequence  the  climate  a trifle 
less  malignant.  From  here,  however,  to  Sena,  Living- 
stone found  the  Portuguese  at  war  with  the  natives, 
and  travelling  became  dangerous  as  well  as  difficult. 
The  tribes  on  the  southern  bank  were  of  Zulu  race,  and 
the  Portuguese  paid  them  an  annual  tribute  for  the 
right  of  living  and  trading  in  their  country.  The  tribes 
on  the  north  were  of  inferior  physique  and  character 


IN  THE  ZAMBESI  COUNTRY. 


79 


and  upon  these  the  Portuguese  preyed  so  unceasingly, 
that  the  native  spirit  was  goaded  beyond  sufferance, 
and  often  broke  out  in  what  can  hardly  be  called 
rebellion.  The  system  or  no-system  of  colonization 
which  was  pursued  was  proving  somewhat  expensive, 
for  at  the  time  Livingstone  wrote  the  province  of 
Mozambique  was  a heavy  charge  upon  the  Home 
Government,  and  yielded  nothing  in  return. 

Passing  Sena — which  is  built  on  the  level  bank  of 
the  Zambesi,  and  has  a background  of  moderate  hills 
and  a look-out  across  the  river  upon  a lofty  and 
picturesque  range — the  Doctor  pressed  forward  to 
Tete.  Here  he  was  received  by  the  Makololo — whom 
he  had  left  there  nearly  three  years  before — with  the 
greatest  affection  and  enthusiasm.  Some  of  them  had 
died,  but  the  survivors  philosophically  remarked  that 
“men  die  in  any  country.”  While  Livingstone  was  in 
England,  the  Portuguese  Government  had  informed  the 
English  authorities  that  they  had  sent  orders  to  sup- 
port these  Makololo  until  the  Doctor  should  return  to 
them.  Acting  on  this  information,  Livingstone  had  not 
returned  as  soon  as  he  had  intended.  On  arrival  at 
Tete,  however,  he  found  that  not  only  had  the  Portu- 
guese Government  omitted  to  forward  the  necessary 
intimation  of  their  good  intentions — in  order  to  carry 
them  into  effect — but  that  even  the  pay  of  the  officials 
of  the  province  was  several  years  in  arrear ! Little 
likely  were  the  Makololo  to  receive  official  countenance 
and  support  when  the  maintenance  of  the  officials 
themselves  depended  on  their  own  personal  efforts  in  the 
way  of  slave-trading  and  other  methods  of  gain  more  or 
less  legitimate.  As  it  happened,  however,  the  personal 
generosity  of  the  Governor  had  materially  assisted  the 
Makololo  in  their  endeavour  to  support  themselves. 

Tete  stands  upon  some  low  ridges  on  the  right  bank 
of  the  Zambesi,  and  in  Livingstone's  time  it  was  sur- 
rounded by  a stone  and  mud  wall,  the  huts  of  the 


8o 


DAVID  LIVINGSTONE. 


natives  being  outside  this  line  of  defence.  The  Doctor 
found  many  tons  of  indigo  growing,  not  only  in  the 
vicinity,  but  even  in  the  streets  of  the  town.  Indeed, 
the  indigo  plant  was  the  chief  weed  of  the  place,  and 
regarded  as  such  a nuisance  that  it  was  annually  burned 
off,  exactly  in  the  same  way  as  the  natives  burned  off 
the  tall  jungle  grass.  This  one  fact  is  a good  illustra- 
tion of  the  neglect  of  the  Portuguese  to  avail  themselves 
of  the  natural  resources  of  the  country  in  which  they 
had  settled. 

In  spite  of  this,  Tete  was  a place  of  some  import- 
ance, owing  to  its  being  the  furthest  inland  settlement 
of  the  Portuguese.  As  a natural  consequence,  the 
Europeans  of  Tete  were  slave  traders  and  the  pos- 
sessors as  well  as  the  vendors  of  numerous  slaves.  Not 
infrequently  they  enriched  themselves  by  trading  in 
ivory  and  gold-dust ; but  gradually  the  lucrativeness  of 
that  traffic  in  human  beings,  called  with  grim  humour 
“ black  ivory,”  or  “ ebony,”  drew  them  away  from  the 
stable  pursuit  of  agriculture  to  a feverish  quest  after 
slaves.  The  result  is  evidenced  in  the  state  of  Tete 
to-day.  The  fertile  fields,  no  longer  cultivated,  have 
returned  to  their  former  jungle  condition  ; and,  having 
neither  men  to  work  nor  fight  for  them,  the  Portuguese 
Government  has  abandoned  the  town,  which  is  fast 
lapsing  to  decay. 

A short  distance  above  Tete,  the  navigation  of  the 
Zambesi  is  interrupted  by  the  Kebrabasa  rapids. 
Livingstone  and  Kirk  examined  these  falls  with  the 
greatest  care  no  less  than  three  times,  and  they  came 
to  the  conclusion  that,  while  impossible  of  navigation 
at  ordinary  times,  it  might  be  possible  to  do  so  at  the 
flood  season,  when  the  river  rose  a great  height  in  the 
rocky  canon  which  formed  its  bed,  and  buried  the  rocks 
and  rapids  below.  But  the  force  of  the  stream  at  this 
time  was  too  great  for  the  Ma-Robert  to  stem,  and 
accordingly  Livingstone  sent  a report  back  to  the 


IN  THE  ZAMBESI  COUNTRY, 


8 I 


Government,  pointing  out  the  difficulties,  and  asking 
for  a more  powerful  steamer. 

In  the  meanwhile,  he  turned  his  attention  to  the  Shire. 
Of  this  river  the  Portuguese  could  tell  him  nothing  but 
what  was  erroneous.  An  expedition,  it  was  said,  had 
attempted  to  ascend  it  in  former  years,  but  the  impene- 
trable mass  of  aquatic  vegetation  had  made  advance 
impossible.  Moreover,  the  Manganja,  who  dwelt  on  its 
banks,  were  regarded  as  savages  of  the  most  blood- 
thirsty type.  “ Our  government,”  said  one  commandant, 
“ has  sent  us  orders  to  assist  and  protect  you,  but  you 
go  where  we  dare  not  follow,  and  how  can  we  protect 
you  ? ” As  a matter  of  fact,  both  Livingstone  and 
Kirk  were  reported  as  having  been  killed  very  shortly 
after  their  departure ! 

Upon  entering  the  Shir£,  in  January  1859,  a good 
deal  of  duckweed  was  met  with,  but  never  in  sufficient 
mass  to  stem  the  progress  of  canoes  or  boats,  and  after 
a few  miles  it  almost  disappeared.  The  natives,  how- 
ever, were  very  much  in  evidence,  and  at  first  assumed 
an  attitude  of  marked  hostility.  But  on  being  told  that 
the  white  men  were  English,  and  that  statement  re- 
ceiving some  support  from  the  entirely  novel  boat  in 
which  they  travelled,  the  natives  became  friendly,  and 
Tingane,  a notorious  chief,  and  a known  foe  to  the 
Portuguese,  extended  his  hospitality  and  protection 
toward  them. 

A passage  occurs  in  Livingstone’s  book,  “ The 
Zambesi  and  its  Tributaries,”  which  may  be  quoted  at 
this  point,  as  showing  the  method  adopted  by  him  on 
going  among  these  savage  tribes  as  a perfect  stranger. 

“ In  commencing  intercourse  with  any  people  we 
almost  always  referred  to  the  English  detestation 
of  slavery.  Most  of  them  already  possess  some 
information  respecting  the  efforts  made  by  the  English 
at  sea  to  suppress  the  slave  trade ; and  our  work  being 
to  induce  them  to  raise  and  sell  cotton,  instead  of 

6 


82 


DAVID  LIVINGSTONE. 


capturing  and  selling  their  fellow-men,  our  errand 
appears  quite  natural  ; and  as  they  all  have  clear  ideas 
of  their  own  self-interest  and  are  keen  traders,  the 
reasonableness  of  the  proposal  is  at  once  admitted  ; 
and  as  a belief  in  a Supreme  Being,  the  Maker  and 
Ruler  of  all  things,  and  in  the  continued  existence  of 
departed  spirits,  is  universal,  it  becomes  quite  appro- 
priate to  explain  that  we  possess  a Book  containing 
a revelation  of  the  will  of  Him,  to  whom  in  their 
natural  state  they  recognise  no  relationship." 

Throughout  the  most  laborious  journeys,  in  the  days 
of  pain  and  disease,  as  well  as  those  of  vigour  and  health, 
Livingstone  made  a regular  practice  of  reading  the 
Bible  to  his  native  followers,  and  explaining  to  them 
the  blessings  of  that  Universal  Fatherhood  which 
regards  all  men  as  brothers.  To  the  revelation  of 
such  a life  as  that  of  the  Great  Physician  they  would 
listen  with  the  amazement  of  children,  and  be  lost 
in  wonder  at  Him  who  laid  down  His  life  for  enemies 
and  friends  alike.  For  it  is  not  the  ruling  idea  of 
Christianity  which  is  a stumbling-block  to  the  native ; 
it  is  his  inability,  after  ages  of  moral  darkness,  to 
entirely  eschew  the  evil  and  cleave  to  the  good. 
Livingstone,  in  his  compassion,  made  allowances  for 
this ; and  those  who  have  taken  up  his  work  do 
well  to  remember  it.  Is  the  "civilized"  Christian  so 
consistent  that  he  can  afford  to  cast  a stone  at  the 
stark  Heathen  ? 

A hundred  miles  “ as  the  crow  flies  ” from  the 
confluence  of  the  Shire  and  Zambesi — or,  if  the 
meanderings  of  the  river  are  taken  into  account, 
some  two  hundred  miles  from  that  point — further 
navigation  was  prevented  by  the  lowest  of  those 
large  cataracts  which,  from  gratitude  and  with  appro- 
priateness, Livingstone  afterwards  called  the  Murchison 
Cataracts.  As  the  natives  were  too  suspicious — they 
kept  watch  over  the  little  party  night  and  day — for 


BIBLE  TO  THE  NATIVES 


84 


DAVID  LIVINGSTONE. 


it  to  be  prudent  to  advance  along  the  bank,  the  Doctor 
sent  friendly  messages  to  the  neighbouring  chiefs,  with 
a view  to  future  relations,  and  returned  to  Tete. 

A month  later,  he  and  Kirk  again  arrived  at  the  foot 
of  the  falls,  and,  travelling  in  a north-easterly  direction 
across  country,  they  came  to  the  shores  of  Lake 
Shirwa  on  the  1 8th  of  April,  1859.  This  lake  had  never 
been  heard  of  before,  and  consequently  it  was  a genuine, 
an  absolute  discovery.  Some  seventy  miles  in  length  and 
twenty  in  breadth,  Lake  Shirwa  lies  amid  beautiful 
scenery.  The  lofty  ridge  of  Zomba,  nine  thousand 
feet  in  height,  which  separates  the  lake  from  the  Shire, 
is  its  western  boundary ; and  on  the  east  rises  the 
Malanje  chain,  a range  of  equal  magnitude.  But  the 
importance  of  this  discovery  was  enhanced  tenfold  when 
Livingstone  learnt  from  the  natives  around  its  shores 
that  there  was  another  lake  to  the  north,  only  separated 
from  the  Shirwa  by  a narrow  belt  of  land,  and  com- 
pared with  which  the  Shirwa  “was  nothing  in  size.” 

The  Doctor  did  not  hasten  forward  to  this  new 
lake,  as  he  would  have  done  had  he  been  a mere 
explorer;  but,  considering  that  the  gaining  of  the 
natives’  confidence  was  of  more  value  than  exploration, 
he  returned  slowly  to  the  Shire,  making  friends  as  he 
went,  and  finally  reached  Tete  in  safety. 

From  here  Livingstone  and  Dr.  Kirk  steamed  down 
to  the  mouth  of  the  Kongone,  in  anticipation  of  meeting 
a man-of-war,  which  it  had  been  arranged  should 
bring  them  provisions.  This  particular  vessel  failed 
to  make  its  appearance ; but  by  good  fortune  another 
arrived,  and  from  it  they  were  enabled  to  re-victual. 
Before  returning  to  Tete,  the  Ma-Robert  was  hauled 
up  on  land  and  her  bottom,  which  was  degenerating 
with  marked  rapidity  into  the  condition  of  a sieve, 
repaired  with  a deal  of  labour  and  considerable  ex- 
penditure of  time.  The  boat  had  proved  a failure  for 
many  reasons ; and  if  her  builder  had  arrived  on  the 


IN  THE  ZAMBESI  COUNTRY.  85 

Zambesi  at  the  time  the  Asthmatic — as  the  members 
of  the  expedition  called  her — was  snorting  her  laborious 
way  from  Kongone  to  Tete,  his  reception  at  the  hands 
of  her  crew  would  probably  have  beer  even  warmer 
than  that  which  the  climate  accorded.  Slow  speed, 
leaky  decks,  badly-fitted  compartments — so  that  the 
water  filtered  through  the  sides  and  wetted  everything, 
even  the  beds  and  bedding — were  among  the  chief 
faults  of  the  Ma-Robert.  The  disappointment  was 
great,  for  much  had  been  expected,  especially  as  the 
builder  had  assured  them  that  extra  good  material 
and  workmanship  had  been  put  into  the  launch,  owing 
to  his  “ love  for  the  work  ” which  the  Ma-Robert  was 
so  materially  to  assist ! 

In  August  the  Shire  was  ascended  for  the  third  time. 
The  people  on  this  occasion  were  in  nearly  every  case 
peaceably  inclined,  and  Livingstone  had  ample  oppor- 
tunity to  study  their  customs  and  inquire  into  their  beliefs. 
It  was  here  he  first  met  with  the  pelele  contrivance, 
which  in  the  opinion  of  the  native  women  so  greatly 
adorns  them.  When  told  it  was  ugly,  they  replied  much 
as  their  European  sisters  might — “ Really  ! It  is  the 
fashion.”  The  pelele  consists  of  a ring  so  inserted  in 
the  upper  lip  as  to  draw  it  out  in  a horizontal  line  at 
least  two  inches  beyond  the  nose.  The  ring  may  be  of 
metal  or  ivory,  and  is  inserted  at  an  early  age. 

These  Manganja  were  found  to  believe  in  a Supreme 
Being,  and  also  in  a future  state.  “ We  live,”  said  one 
old  chief,  “ only  a few  days  here,  but  wre  live  again  after 
death.  We  do  not  know  where,  or  in  what  condition, 
or  with  what  companions,  for  the  dead  never  return  to 
tell  us.  Sometimes  the  dead  do  come  back  and  appear 
to  us  in  dreams ; but  they  never  speak  nor  tell  us 
where  they  have  gone,  nor  how  they  fare.” 

Livingstone  was  so  interested  in  these  people  that, 
writing  to  Mr.  James  Young,  his  old  college  friend,  he 
said,  “ I am  tired  of  discovery  when  no  fruit  follows,” 


86 


DAVID  LIVINGSTONE. 


and  went  on  to  describe  the  amount  of  toil  which 
the  Ma-Robert  entailed  on  them,  wasting  time  which 
might  have  been  employed  in  delivering  the  message 
to  the  people.  The  quantity  of  fuel  she  consumed  was 
enormous,  and  even  with  her  furnace  full  but  little 
speed  was  attained. 

On  the  16th  of  September,  1859,  the  great  Lake 
Nyassa  was  discovered.  This  lake  is  more  than  three 
hundred  miles  in  length,  and  about  forty  miles  in  width. 
It  fills  a long  trench,  which  is  some  six  hundred  feet 
deep  below  the  level  of  the  lake,  and  is  walled  in  on 
the  east  by  a lofty  range  of  mountains,  reaching  in  the 
north-east  an  elevation  of  ten  thousand  feet.  The  lake 
was  found  to  be  right  in  the  track  of  a great  inland 
trade.  From  the  country  of  Katanga  and  Cazembe, 
from  those  densely-peopled  districts  lying  west  of  the 
Nyassa,  came  Arab  caravans  bringing  the  produce  of  the 
country — ivory,  malachite,  copper  ornaments,  and  too 
often,  even  then,  gangs  of  slaves— down  to  the  east 
coast,  to  the  ports  of  the  Portuguese  and  the  Arabs,  to 
Iboe,  Mozambique,  and  Kilwa. 

Livingstone  saw  clearly  that  if  he  could  establish  a 
steamer  upon  this  lake,  and  buy  the  ivory  from  the  natives 
with  European  goods,  he  would  at  once  strike  a deadly 
blow  at  the  slave  trade.  The  overland  journey  to  the 
coast  was  so  long  and  laborious  that  it  only  paid  the 
Arabs  to  bring  slaves  from  far  Katanga  and  Lunda 
when  they  could  utilize  them  for  carrying  the  ivory. 
The  presence  of  this  steamer  would  largely  affect  the 
interior  trade,  because  the  traders  were  not  allowed  by 
the  natives  to  pass  by  the  northern  end  of  the  Nyassa  ; 
so  that  with  water  communication  from  end  to  end  of 
the  lake,  and,  excepting  the  one  break  of  sixty  miles  at  the 
Murchison  Cataracts,  thence  via  the  Shire  and  Zambesi 
to  the  sea,  a comparatively  small  number  of  men  and 
but  two  or  three  boats  would  be  sufficient  to  hold  the 
nefarious  traffic  in  check.  This  able  method  of  coping 


[N  THE  ZAMBESI  COUNTRY. 


87 


<\fth  the  difficulties  of  the  question  was  originated,  and 
for  a long  time  cherished,  by  Livingstone.  He  saw  the 

“ Argosies  of  magic  sails, 

Pilots  of  the  purple  twilight,  dropping  down  with  costly  bales,” 

from  that  new-found  Cathay,  reaching  to  the  world  of 
Europe  and  the  shores  of  his  beloved  Britain.  The 
trade  which  devastated  the  country  and  blunted  the  best 
feelings  of  the  people,  which  made  labour  and  commerce 
impossible,  and  man 

“ Neither  brute  nor  human, 

But  a ghoul,” 

— this  trade  was  to  be  swept  away,  the  people  taught  to 
obtain  what  they  wanted  by  exchanging  the  fruit  of 
their  own  industry,  humanized  by  peaceful  labour  and 
Christianized  by  sowers  of  the  Gospel  seed,  life  made 
pleasant  and  sacred  as  well  as  safe,  homes  provided  by 
the  salubrious  slopes  of  the  mountains  encircling  Nyassa 
for  Europeans  who  could  work  with  their  own  hands  while 
“their  tongues  were  not  dumb" — this  was  the  vision 
which  arose  before  Livingstone’s  eyes  as  they  looked 
across  the  gleaming  lake  and  rested  on  the  unbroken 
horizon,  and  it  was  the  desire  to  bring  about  its  fulfil- 
ment that  led  him  back  to  the  Zambesi  and  in  touch 
once  more  with  those  friends  in  far-off  England  who 
were  best  able  to  assist  him  to  this  end. 

He  was  at  this  period  most  sanguine  of  a great 
success,  and  there  can  be  no  doubt  that  he  would  have 
achieved  something  like  it  had  not  the  attitude  of  the 
Portuguese  and  the  villainies  of  the  slave  traders 
conspired  to  undo  what  he  had  already  begun  to  do. 
He  could  no  longer  be  in  doubt  as  to  the  real  feelings 
of  the  majority  of  the  officials  in  East  Africa;  for 
although  the  Home  Government  continued  to  send  out 
orders  for  his  support,  these  orders  were  neglected  and 
ignored.  It  became  only  too  evident  to  these  “official" 
gentry  that  Livingstone  meant  no  half-measures, 


DAVID  LIVINGSTONE. 


but  the  out-and-out  eradication  of  the  slave  trade. 
And  as  this  would  involve  the  financial  ruin  of  the 
governors,  deputy-governors,  commandants,  and  a host 
of  small  fry  who  were  more  or  less  openly  engaged 
in  the  profitable  “ black  ivory  ” trade,  it  became  the 
object  of  the  Portuguese  on  the  Zambesi  to  put  every 
difficulty  in  Livingstone’s  way,  to  blacken  his  character 
and  read  his  motives  backward,  with  all  the  cunning 
and  mendacity  which  nature  and  habit  had  so  bounti- 
fully bestowed  upon  them.  Seeing  this,  Livingstone 
made  up  his  mind  to  be  independent  of  them  as  far  as 
possible,  and  it  was  with  this  intention  that  he  subse- 
quently explored  the  Rovuma  River  in  the  hope  of 
finding  an  alternative  route  to  the  Nyassa.  Kind  as 
many  of  the  Portuguese  had  been  to  him  personally, 
he  was  determined  to  oppose  the  official  attitude  of 
the  coast  authorities,  and  escape  from  the  trammels 
which  it  cast  about  his  efforts. 

Before  embarking  on  this  new  course,  he  had  a 
duty  to  fulfil.  He  took  the  Makololo  back  to  their 
homes,  and  he  has  told  us  with  what  genuine  plea- 
sure he  preached  again  to  his  friends,  the  people  of 
Sekeletu. 

Their  journey  through  the  intervening  country  had 
been  a great  success,  the  people  being  friendly  and 
hospitable.  Mpende,  who  had  in  former  years  been 
so  hostile,  received  Livingstone  now  with  open  arms. 
But  the  Makololo  were  not  prospering.  Sekeletu  had 
been  attacked  by  leprosy,  and  kept  himself  hidden  in 
his  hut  palace.  Pretenders  had  arisen,  and  rebellion 
broken  out  ; the  people  had  not  cultivated  their  fields 
with  their  usual  diligence,  and  many  were  suffering 
from  famine. 

Livingstone  stayed  some  time  with  them,  preaching 
and  doctoring  and  helping  them  in  every  way  which 
lay  in  his  power,  and  in  September  left  them  for  the 
east  coast.  Despite  his  advice  and  warnings,  despite 


IN  THE  ZAMBESI  COUNTRY. 


his  efforts  and  influence,  the  great  warlike  Makololo 
kingdom  was  breaking  up — was  already  drifting  to 
destruction.  A few  years  afterwards  Sekeletu  died, 
and  war  after  war  broke  over  the  country,  as  the 
various  pretenders  to  supremacy  asserted  their  claims. 
The  usual  end  of  a native  empire  was  at  hand. 
Neighbouring  tribes  poured  in  on  every  side,  taking 
first  one  part  and  then  another,  but  always  claiming 
their  own  independence,  and  before  long  there  reigned 
in  the  rich  valley  of  the  Zambesi,  from  the  Victoria 
Falls  to  the  Barotse  country,  a score  of  independent 
tribes  who  spoke  of  Sebituane  and  Sekeletu  and  the 
warlike  prowess  of  the  Makololo  as  persons  and  matters 
of  history,  and  who,  unlike  Livingstone’s  early  friends, 
were  given  over  to  the  debasing  and  fatal  practice  of 
the  slave  trade.  The  Makololo  empire  was  no  more. 


A NATIVE  DANCE.  CENTRAL  AFRICA. 


CHAPTER  VII. 

NYASSALAN’D. 

ONE  ot  the  results  of  Livingstone’s  many  letters 
home,  urging  the  necessity  and  pointing  out 
the  advantages  of  opening  up  the  Shird  valley  and  the 
shores  of  Lake  Nyassa  by  missionary  labour  and  the 
founding  of  a colony,  was  evidenced  early  in  1 86 1 by 
the  arrival  of  several  members  of  the  Oxford  and  Cam- 
bridge Mission  to  Africa.  At  their  head,  to  guide  and 
control,  was  Bishop  Mackenzie,  a hard-working  and 
patient  man.  With  them  arrived  the  Pioneer , a steamer 
sent  by  the  Government  in  reply  to  Livingstone’s  request, 
and  which  was  to  be  utilized  now  for  work  on  the  Shird. 
The  Ma-Robert  had  succumbed  to  her  many  ailments  by 
making  a final  exit  on  a sandbank  near  Sena.  Living- 
stone in  the  meanwhile  had  written  home  to  his  friend 
Mr.  James  Young,  asking  him  to  purchase  another 
steamer  out  of  the  ample  funds  which  " Missionary 
Travels”  had  raised  for  him,  and  consequently  good 
days  appeared  to  be  in  store  for  those  who  had  been  ex- 
hausting time  and  strength  in  their  heavily-handicapped 
struggle  for  the  regeneration  of  Africa. 


NYASSALAND. 


91 


As  is  so  often  the  case,  however,  the  period  of  his 
career  which  Livingstone  was  on  the  point  of  entering 
was  destined  to  be  more  laden  with  trouble  and  fraught 
with  sorrow  than  any  other  time  of  his  life.  With  the 
story  of  a series  of  disasters  and  griefs,  with  the  un- 
timely failure  of  the  Universities  Mission,  and  the  final 
recall  of  the  Zambesi  Expedition,  the  ensuing  chapter 
will  have  to  deal. 

Up  to  this  point  a good  deal  had  been  done  in  spite 
of  all  difficulties.  The  Kongone  arm  of  the  Zambesi 
and  an  important  entrance  from  the  sea  had  been 
discovered,  navigated,  and  laid  down  in  charts ; the 
navigability  of  the  Zambesi  as  far  as  the  Kebrabasa 
Falls  was  demonstrated ; the  great  river  Shird  had 
been  practically  discovered  and  navigated  for  the  first 
time.  Lake  Shirwa  was  another  discovery  ; and,  to  cap 
the  whole,  there  had  been  found,  lying  amid  the  lofty 
ridges  which  some  four  hundred  miles  inland  run  parallel 
with  the  coast  of  Eastern  Africa,  a lake  of  such  extent 
and  character  as  to  alone  justify  the  existence  and  work 
of  the  expedition. 

In  addition  to  these  discoveries,  and  the  care  and 
skill  with  which  their  extent  and  positions  were  fixed, 
many  months  had  been  spent  in  investigating  the  nature 
and  capabilities  of  the  soil,  and  the  value  of  the  indi- 
genous products.  The  valley  of  the  Shire  was  capable 
of  being  made  one  immense  cotton-field,  at  least  four 
hundred  miles  in  length,  and  indigo  and  sugar  could  be 
cultivated  with  perfect  success.  The  Manganja,  who 
inhabited  the  Shird  valley,  raised  heavy  crops  of  maize, 
and  led  fairly  peaceful  lives.  Provided  that  it  could  be 
demonstrated  to  them  with  effect  that  the  white  men 
would  buy  as  much  cotton  and  other  crops  as  they 
could  raise,  it  was  probable  that  the  first  principles 
of  civilization  and  commerce  could  be  permanently 
introduced  ; and  now,  with  the  advent  of  the  Univer- 
sities Mission,  the  exhaustive  labour  of  pioneering 


92 


DAVID  LIVINGSTONE. 


would  not  demand  so  much  of  the  energies  of  the 
expedition  as  to  prevent  the  constant  and  continual 
preaching  of  the  Gospel.  With  commerce  and  Chris- 
tianity advancing  side  by  side,  the  peaceful  conquest 
of  this  great  land  of  waterways  seemed  at  hand.  The 
vision  indeed  was  fair,  but  Livingstone  was  not  destined 
to  behold  its  fulfilment. 

On  his  arrival  at  Kongone,  Bishop  Mackenzie  was 
all  anxiety  to  proceed  at  once  to  the  Shire.  But  as 
the  Pioneer  was  under  orders  to  explore  the  Rovuma 
River,  with  a view  to  ascertaining  whether  an  alter- 
native water  route  to  the  Nyassa  existed,  and  there 
being  no  other  boat  available,  his  immediate  departure 
was  impossible.  The  Bishop  finally  agreed  to  accompany 
Livingstone  in  his  trip  up  the  Rovuma. 

Various  delays  which  had  occurred  prevented  Living- 
stone from  ascending  the  Rovuma  farther  than  to  find 
the  scenery  even  more  beautiful  than  that  of  the 
Zambesi ; then  the  rapid  falling  of  the  river  warned  him 
that  if  the  Pioneer  was  to  get  safely  back  to  sea  and  not 
meet  on  some  sand  or  mud-bank  the  fate  of  the  Ma- 
Robert,  it  was  high  time  to  return.  Had  he  not  been 
accompanied  by  members  of  the  mission,  he  would 
probably  have  travelled  along  the  banks  of  the  river  ; 
but  he  was  induced  on  their  behalf  to  abandon  the 
attempt,  and  comfort  himself  with  the  resolve  to  pro- 
ceed at  some  future  time  from  the  Nyassa  eastward  until 
he  again  struck  the  river.  The  Pioneer  steamed  out  of 
the  Rovuma,  and  with  Livingstone  as  pilot  and  captain 
rounded  Cape  Delgado,  sailed  down  the  Mozambique 
coast,  and,  safely  making  the  Kongone  mouth,  ascended 
the  Zambesi  and  Shire. 

While  on  the  Rovuma  the  Pioneer  had  proved  to 
draw  too  much  water  for  the  tortuous  and  frequently 
shallow  reaches  of  African  rivers.  On  the  Shird  this 
defect  came  out  in  startling  prominence.  Many  a time 
she  grounded  where  a vessel  drawing  but  a few  inches 


NYASSALAND. 


93 


less  would  have  passed  with  ease.  On  one  occasion 
a whole  fortnight  was  employed  in  getting  her  off  a 
bank  of  drifting  sand,  which  she  had  only  just  grazed. 
This  single  defect  caused  innumerable  delays  and  a 
constant  toil,  in  which  the  unacclimatized  missionaries 
were  not  far  behind.  At  least,  some  of  them  ; for  it  is 
not  to  be  supposed  that  among  half  a dozen  men  fresh 
from  the  luxuries  of  University  and  English  life,  not 
one  would  be  a laggard,  or  less  enthusiastic  for  the 
mission  cause  while  working  under  an  African  sun  than 
when  contemplating  the  regeneration  of  a continent 
from  the  persuasive  vantage-ground  of  England.  But 
those  who  were  more  fitted  for  the  hard  endurance  of 
real  mission  life  behaved  nobly.  “ In  hauling  the 
Pioneer wrote  Livingstone,  “over  the  shallow  places, 
the  Bishop,  with  Horace  Waller  and  Mr.  Scudamore, 
were  ever  ready  and  anxious  to  lend  a hand,  and  worked 
as  hard  as  any  on  board.”  In  all  respects  save  that 
of  draught  the  Pioneer  was  admirably  suited  for  the 
work  for  which  she  had  been  built. 

In  ascending  the  Shire,  Livingstone  realised  a truth 
of  which,  both  then  and  ever  since,  the  exploration  of 
Africa  has  yielded  abundant  proof.  Too  often,  if  not 
invariably,  the  pluck  and  suffering  of  the  traveller  in 
opening  up  new  routes  and  discovering  contented  if 
ignorant  races  have  been  ill  rewarded  by  the  immediate 
result.  For  in  his  steps  have  come  the  Arab  and  half- 
caste  traders,  and  guided  by  his  discoveries  they  have 
laid  waste  the  smiling  fields,  burnt  the  villages  and 
towns,  and  carried  off  the  people  in  chains  to  be  sold 
as  slaves.  Throughout  Central  Africa  this  rule  has 
obtained.  The  advance  of  the  Arabs  from  the  coast 
has  practically  depopulated  vast  tracts  of  the  interior, 
and  even  the  development  of  the  Congo  Free  State  has 
not  been  an  unmixed  blessing.  The  Arabs,  taking 
advantage  of  European  philanthropy,  have  actually  been 
helped  in  their  trade  in  slaves  by  the  advantages  which 


94 


DAVID  LIVINGSTONE. 


that  great  commercial  highway  has  placed  in  their 
hands.  Now,  as  in  the  days  of  Livingstone,  the  great 
question  remains  unsolved  : How  can  we  benefit  Africa 
and  not  benefit  the  Arab  ? 

With  deep  disappointment  Livingstone  piloted  the 
combined  forces  of  the  expedition  and  mission  up  the 
Shire.  When  near  the  Murchison  Cataracts  they  met, 
Livingstone  says,  “a  long  line  of  manacled  men, 
women,  and  children.  The  black  owners,  armed  with 
muskets  and  bedecked  with  various  articles  of  finery, 
marched  jauntily  in  the  front,  middle,  and  rear  of  the 
line  ; some  of  them  blowing  exultant  notes  out  of  long 
tin  horns.  They  seemed  to  feel  that  they  were  doing 
a very  noble  thing,  and  might  proudly  march  with  an 
air  of  triumph.  But  the  instant  the  fellows  caught  a 
glimpse  of  the  English  they  darted  off  like  mad  into 
the  forest.”  This  was  certainly  a compliment  to  the 
nation  which  Livingstone  represented,  and  one  which 
would  never  have  been  paid  to  the  Portuguese.  Tin 
slaves  were  released  from  their  chains,  and  taken 
charge  of  by  the  mission. 

Shortly  after  this,  for  the  first  time  during  the  Doctor’s 
many  years  of  travel  in  Africa,  he  was  fired  upon  by 
the  natives.  The  party  had  been  freeing  a number  of 
slaves  whom  they  had  met,  and,  ascertaining  that  the 
Ajawa,  a tribe  near  the  Zomba  range,  had  been  actively 
engaged  in  raiding  among  the  peaceful  Manganja  for 
slaves,  it  was  resolved  to  pay  the  chief  of  the  Ajawa  a 
visit,  with  a view  to  weaning  him  from  his  nefarious 
ways.  The  path  led  through  a country  in  the  active 
stage  of  devastation.  The  smoke  from  burning  villages 
arose  to  heaven,  the  shrieks  of  widowed  and  wounded 
women  fell  on  their  ears.  The  Ajawa  received  the 
party  with  a heavy  fire,  and  in  self-defence  it  had 
to  be  returned.  “ Had  we  known  better,”  says 
Livingstone,  “ the  effect  of  slavery  and  murder  on  the 
temper  of  these  bloodthirsty  marauders,  we  should 


NY  ASS  ALAND. 


95 


have  tried  messages  and  presents  before  going  near 
them.” 

A few  days  afterwards  the  mission  fixed  their  first 
station  at  Magomero,  the  town  of  the  chief  Chigunda, 
and  which  lay  on  the  eastern  slope  of  the  Zomba  range  ; 
and  the  members  of  the  expedition  bade  them  farewell. 
By  way  of  parting  advice,  and  in  answer  to  an  inquiry 
of  the  Bishop’s  as  to  his  protecting  vi  et  armis  the 
Manganjas  from  the  marauding  Ajawa,  Livingstone 
declared  most  emphatically  that  such  a policy  would 
lead  to  mischief.  “ You  will  be  oppressed  by  their  im- 
portunities, but  do  not  interfere  with  native  quarrels.” 
Had  such  advice  been  heeded,  the  troubles  which 
subsequently  beset  the  mission  would  probably  have 
been  avoided. 

The  remaining  history  of  the  Universities  Mission 
in  the  basin  of  the  Shire  may  be  briefly  related  here. 
On  Livingstone’s  departure,  the  Bishop  and  his  co- 
adjutors commenced  the  requisite  preliminary  operations. 
The  Bishop  set  to  work  to  learn  the  language,  Mr.  Waller 
undertook  the  building  of  the  necessary  houses,  and 
Mr.  Scudamore  started  an  infant  school.  After  a time 
they  became  seriously  involved  with  the  natives,  and  in 
the  course  of  some  aggressive  dealings  with  the  slave- 
trading Ajawa  and  others  suffered  much  from  exposure. 
The  anxiety  and  toil,  coupled  with  the  fact  that  the 
unhealthy  season  was  bringing  with  it  the  usual  series 
of  ills,  led  to  the  unfortunate  death  of  the  Bishop,  from 
fever,  while  endeavouring  to  descend  the  Shire.  His 
companion,  Mr.  Burrup,  who  was  also  suffering  severely 
from  dysentery,  had  just  strength  enough  to  stagger  to 
the  grave  which  their  Makololo  servants  had  made,  and 
there  repeat  some  portions  of  the  Service  for  the  Burial 
of  the  Dead.  Mr.  Burrup  was  then  carried  hack  to 
Magomero  by  the  Makololo,  and  soon  after  died.  The 
behaviour  of  these  servants  was  splendid.  For  three 
long  weeks  they  sat  beside  the  Bishop’s  mat.  as  without 


96 


DAVID  LIVINGSTONE. 


medicine  or  proper  food  he  slowly  grew  weaker  and 
succumbed.  Their  devotion  to  Mr.  Burrup  was  as 
great ; and,  indeed,  throughout  their  connection  with 
the  mission  these  men,  who  had  learnt  the  character  of 
the  white  man  from  so  great  a teacher  and  example  as 
Dr.  Livingstone,  served  their  masters  with  conspicuous 
loyalty  and  zeal. 

In  April  1862,  Mr.  Waller  arrived  at  Shupanga,  at 
the  head  of  the  Zambesi  delta,  to  collect  provisions. 
The  depredations  of  the  Ajawa  and  a drought,  which 
occurs  every  few  years  in  this  region,  had  made  food 
so  scarce  that  many  of  the  people  were  starving,  and 
the  missionaries  were  suffering  from  diseases  resulting 
from  poor  and  insufficient  food.  Having  hired  and 
loaded  a number  of  canoes,  Waller  reascended  the 
Shire,  only  to  discover  that  the  remnant  of  the  mission 
at  Magomero  had  fled  down  to  the  low  valley  of  the 
Shire,  and  taken  up  their  quarters  with  Chibisa,  a 
friendly  chief.  This  was  a most  unhealthy  site,  but  in 
spite  of  Waller’s  remonstrances  all  preferred  to  stay 
by  the  Shire  rather  than  return  to  the  uplands  of 
Zomba.  Within  a short  space  of  time  three  of  the 
party  died  ; and  Tozer,  who  arrived  soon  after  to  succeed 
Mackenzie  as  bishop,  determined  to  abandon  the  mission 
on  the  Shire,  and  make  Zanzibar  its  headquarters.  And 
this,  to  Livingstone’s  unspeakable  grief,  he  did.  The 
Doctor,  writing  to  his  friend  Maclear,  at  the  Cape,  said 
he  felt  inclined  to  “sit  down  and  cry.”  The  hopes  and 
labours  of  years  seemed  shattered  in  a moment.  “ I 
see  that  if  you  go,”  he  wrote  to  the  Bishop,  “ the  last 
ray  of  hope  for  this  wretched  trodden-down  people 
disappears,  and  I again  from  the  bottom  of  my  heart 
entreat  you  to  reconsider  the  matter." 

The  matter  was  not  reconsidered,  however ; and 
Mackenzie’s  successor,  while  enjoying  the  style  and 
title  of  “ Bishop  of  Central  Africa,”  contented  himself 
with  applying  his  own  interpretation  to  the  words, 


NY  ASS  ALAND. 


97 


confining  his  residence  and  labours  to  the  island  of 
Zanzibar,  and  getting  a distant  view  of  the  continent  on 
a fine  day. 

In  the  meanwhile,  on  leaving  the  mission  at  Magnmero, 
the  Doctor  with  Charles  Livingstone  and  John  Kirk  had 
started  for  Nyassa.  The  Pioneer  was  left  at  Chibisa’s, 
at  the  foot  of  the  Murchison  Cataracts,  and  a small  boat 
was  carried  along  the  banks  for  some  forty  miles  until 
they  could  put  it  on  the  upper  Shird.  Thence  they 
proceeded  to  the  Nyassa,  arriving  at  the  lake  on  the 
2nd  of  September. 

The  first  point  of  interest  noticed  was  a long 
promontory,  projecting,  like  a tongue,  in  a northerly 
direction  from  the  extreme  south  of  the  lake,  and  which 
they  named  Cape  Maclear,  in  honour  of  the  Doctor's 
old  friend,  the  Astronomer  Royal  at  Capetown.  This 
promontory  is  mountainous,  and  no  bottom  could  be  got, 
at  that  time,  with  a line  of  thirty-five  fathoms.  The 
Nyassa,  in  fact,  was  to  prove  a very  different  lake  from 
the  Ngami. 

The  mountains  on  the  west  of  the  lake  are  the  lofty 
edges  of  the  central  plateau  ; those  on  the  east,  after- 
wards called  the  Livingstone  Range,  are  isolated.  The 
months  of  September  and  October  which  Livingstone 
spent  on  the  lake  were  stormy,  and  these  mountain 
ranges  drew  down  upon  its  surface  fierce  and  sudden 
gusts  of  wind.  The  squalls  would  come  with  a sudden 
rush,  only  discernible  by  the  white  line  of  leaping 
breakers  before  they  swooped  down  upon  the  small  boat 
with  a roar,  and  often  was  Livingstone  caught  and 
detained  on  his  detour  of  the  lake  by  these  dangerous 
storms. 

“ Never  before  in  Africa,”  he  writes,  " have  we  seen 
anything  like  the  dense  population  on  the  shores  of 
Lake  Nyassa.  In  the  southern  part  there  was  an 
almost  unbroken  chain  of  villages.  On  the  beach  of 
well-nigh  every  little  sandy  bay  dark  crowds  were 

7 


98 


DAVID  LIVINGSTONE. 


standing,  gazing  at  the  novel  sight  of  a boat  under 
sail ; and  wherever  we  landed  we  were  surrounded  in 
a few  seconds  by  hundreds  of  men,  women,  and  children, 
who  hastened  to  have  a stare  at  the  ‘chirombo’ — wild 
animals.  To  see  the  animals  feed  was  the  greatest 
attraction  : never  did  the  Zoological  Society’s  lions  or 
monkeys  draw  more  sightseers  than  we  did.  The 
wondering  multitude  crowded  round  us  at  meal-times 
and  formed  a thicket  of  dark  bodies,  all  looking  on, 
apparently,  with  the  deepest  interest  ; but  they  good- 
naturedly  kept  each  other  to  a line  we  made  on  the 
sand,  and  left  us  room  to  dine.  Twice  they  went  the 
length  of  lifting  up  the  edge  of  our  sail,  which  we  used 
as  a tent,  as  boys  do  the  curtains  of  travelling  mena- 
geries at  home.  ...  At  one  village  only  were  they 
impudent,  but  they  were  ‘elevated’  by  beer.  . . . They 
cultivate  the  soil  pretty  extensively,  and  grow  large 
quantities  of  rice  and  sweet  potatoes,  as  well  as  maize, 
mapira,  and  millet.  In  the  north,  however,  cassava  is 
the  staple  product,  which,  with  fish  kept  till  the  flavour 
is  high,  constitutes  the  main  support  of  the  inhabitants.” 
Livingstone  found  the  natives  addicted  to  the  use  of 
the  pelele,  the  horizontal  ring  ornament  for  the  upper 
lip,  and  tattooed  from  head  to  foot.  Some  of  the  tribes 
raised  up  knobs  on  the  skin  of  the  face,  which  gave  the 
appearance  of  leprosy  to  many  of  the  older  people.  It 
was  the  fashion  among  them  and  most  of  the  tribes  of 
the  Zambesi  to  cut  their  really  fine  teeth  to  points  like 
the  teeth  of  cats.  Everywhere  the  visitors  were  received 
with  kindness,  save  and  except  when  they  cut  across  the 
path  of  the  slave  trader.  The  people  then  became  im- 
pudent and  dishonest ; their  first  question  was,  “ Have 
you  come  to  buy  slaves  ? ” and  on  being  told  that  the 
English  never  bought  slaves  the  inquirers  became  con- 
temptuous, and  even  refused  to  sell  food.  It  was  near 
one  of  the  “ crossing-places  ” on  the  Nyassa  that  Living- 
stone was  robbed,  for  the  first  time  in  Africa — a number 


NYASSALAND. 


99 


of  personal  articles  of  clothing  and  toilet  being  stolen 
at  night. 

While  Livingstone  struck  inland  for  a short  trip,  the 
boat  with  his  brother  and  Dr.  Kirk  proceeded  north- 
ward some  distance ; ard  where  the  mountainous  coasts 
seemed,  owing  to  a haze,  to  draw  together,  they  placed 
the  northern  extremity  of  the  lake — that  is,  about  11° 
south.  As  a matter  of  fact  a more  careful  survey,  un- 


8HUPANGA  HOUSE,  IN  WHICH  MRS.  LIVINGSTONE  DIED. 


dertaken  later  on  by  Mr.  E.  D.  Young,  established  the 
limit  as  being  about  gi°  south — a clear  gain  in  length  to 
this  inland  sea  of  a degree  and  a half,  or  rather  over  a 
hundred  miles. 

Finding  no  outlet  from  the  Nyassa  to  the  Rovuma, 
and  having  exhausted  their  goods,  at  the  end  of  October 
Livingstone  left  the  lake,  and,  descending  the  Shire,  re- 
foined  the  Pioneer  below  the  Cataracts.  Several  delays 


DAVID  LIVINGSTONE. 


£09 

occurred,  and  the  steamer  lay  at  one  shoal  for  five  long 
weeks. 

On  arriving  at  the  Portuguese  settlements  on  the 
Zambesi,  he  expected  to  be  questioned  about  the  freeing 
of  the  slaves  whom  he  and  the  Bishop  had  met  up 
the  Shire.  But  only  one  remark  was  made ; he  was 
asked,  “You  took  the  governor’s  slaves,  didn’t  you  ? ” 
Livingstone  replied  that  he  certainly  freed  some  gangs 
he  had  encountered  ; and  goes  on,  in  his  book,  to  say 
that  “ the  Portuguese  of  Tete,  from  the  governor  down- 
wards, were  extensively  engaged  in  slaving.” 

The  30th  of  January,  1862,  was  a great  day  for  the 
Doctor.  H.M.S.  Gorgon  appeared  off  the  mouth  of  the 
Kongone,  and  Livingstone,  steaming  out  in  the  Pioneer, 
went  on  board,  to  find  his  wife,  and  a steamer  which 
he  had  ordered  through  James  Young,  and  which  was 
intended  for  work  on  the  Nyassa.  Mrs.  Livingstone 
had  been  in  England  since  parting  with  her  husband  at 
Capetown,  but  had  now  come  out  to  join  him  in  his 
work.  She  was  not  to  help  him  for  long. 

The  unhealthy  season  was  at  its  height,  and  the 
party  were  delayed  at  Shupanga  by  the  slow  process  of 
conveying  the  many  sections  of  the  Lady  Nyassa  to  that 
place  and  there  fitting  them  together.  The  surrounding 
low  land,  rank  with  vegetation,  and  reeking  from  the 
late  rainy  season,  exhaled  the  malarious  poison  in 
enormous  quantities.  On  the  21st  of  April,  Mrs. 
Livingstone  fell  ill— on  the  27th  she  died. 

Although  Livingstone  touches  on  this  great  grief  but 
slightly  in  his  journal — and  which  is  consistent  with  his 
almost  complete  suppression  of  personal  and  religious 
feelings  in  that  book — the  death  of  his  wife  was  a great 
blow.  In  his  private  journal  we  find  evidence  of  his 
sorrowing,  though  not  as  one  without  hope.  Here  are 
some  extracts  : — 

“ I loved  her  when  I married  her,  and  the  longer 
I lived  with  her  I loved  her  the  more.  ...  It  is  the 


NYASSALAND. 


101 


first  heavy  stroke  I have  suffered,  and  quite  takes 
away  my  strength.  . . . My  Mary,  how  often  we  have 
longed  for  a quiet  home,  since  you  and  I were  cast 
adrift  at  Kolobeng ! . . . God  pity  the  poor  children, 
who  were  ail  tenderly  attached  to  her ; and  I am  left 
alone  in  the  world  by  one  whom  I felt  to  be  a part 
of  myself.  . . . She  rests  by  the  large  baobab  tree 
at  Shupanga.  . . . Vividly  do  1 remember  my  first 
passage  down  in  1856,  passing  Shupanga  with  the 
impression  that  it  was  a beautiful  spot.  ...  In  some 
other  spot  1 may  have  looked  at,  my  own  resting-place 
may  be  allotted.  I have  often  wished  that  it  might 
be  in  some  far-off  still  deep  forest,  where  I may  sleep 
sweetly  till  the  resurrection  morn.” 

The  blow  was  crushing,  and  for  a while  Living- 
stone was  quite  bewildered.  Gradually  his  old  energy 
returned,  and  with  something  of  his  old  vigour  he 
superintended  the  launching  of  the  Lady  Nyassa.  But 
again  delay  had  worked  against  success,  for  the  rainy 
season  was  past,  and  there  was  no  prospect  of  the 
steamer  being  able  to  ascend  the  Shire  till  the  end  of 
the  year.  Once  more,  therefore,  did  Livingstone  sail 
up  the  Mozambique  coast  and  enter  the  Rovuma. 
After  exploring  about  a hundred  and  fifty  miles  of 
that  river,  and  ascertaining  in  spite  of  the  hostility  of 
the  natives  that  it  had  no  direct  connection  with  the 
Nyassa,  he  returned  to  the  Zambesi,  and  in  January, 
1863,  once  again  entered  the  Shird. 

The  desolation  worked  by  the  slave  trade  during  his 
absence  was  appalling.  The  river  banks  which  had 
formerly  been  so  populous  were  now  silent;  all  the 
villages  had  been  burnt,  and  their  inhabitants  killed 
or  carried  away  into  captivity.  Here  and  there  they 
came  upon  some  wretched  survivor,  supporting  himself 
on  fish  or  wild  berries,  but  the  population  was  either 
dead  or  gone.  “ The  sight  and  smell  of  dead  bodies 
was  everywhere.  Many  skeletons  lay  bdside  the  path, 


102 


DAVID  LIVINGSTONE. 


where  in  their  weakness  they  had  fallen  and  expired 
. . . The  corpse  of  a boy  floated  past  the  ship  ; a 
monstrous  crocodile  rushed  at  it  with  the  speed  of  a 
greyhound,  caught  it,  and  shook  it  as  a terrier  dog 
does  a rat.  Others  dashed  at  the  prey,  each  with  his 
powerful  tail  causing  the  water  to  churn  and  froth, 
as  he  furiously  tore  off  a piece.  In  a few  seconds  it 
was  all  gone.  The  sight  was  frightful  to  behold.” 

As  usual,  in  the  path  of  the  slave  trader  had  followed 
a famine.  The  labour  of  the  country  being  removed 
without  warning,  the  crops  are  not  gathered  in,  and 
the  seed  is  not  sown  ; and  those  who  have  escaped  the 
cruel  mercies  of  the  trader  die  of  the  lingering  pains 
of  starvation.  After  describing  the  hideous  sights 
which  the  Shird  valley  presented  at  that  time,  Living- 
stone writes : “ The  sight  of  this  desert,  but  eighteen 
months  ago  a well-peopled  valley,  now  literally  strewn 
with  human  bones,  forced  the  conviction  upon  us  that 
unless  the  slave  trade — that  monster  iniquity  which 
has  so  long  brooded  over  Africa — is  put  down,  lawful 
commerce  cannot  be  established.” 

While  the  Lady  Nyassa  was  being  taken  to  pieces, 
and  a road  alongside  the  Cataracts  under  construction, 
the  Zambesi  Expedition  was  recalled.  This  was  another 
blow  to  Livingstone’s  plans,  though  hardly  to  his  hopes ; 
he  had  long  expected  it.  The  grounds  upon  which  the 
recall  was  issued  were  that  the  expedition  had  proved 
more  costly  than  had  been  estimated,  and  the  return 
was  not  adequate  to  the  expense.  At  the  bottom  of 
this,  the  strained  relations  between  the  English  and 
Portuguese  Governments  had  a good  deal  of  influence 
in  the  matter;  and,  although  public  feeling  at  home  was 
aroused  on  the  slave-trading  question,  there  was  some 
complication,  according  to  the  diplomatists,  in  the 
manner  in  which  the  expedition  was  dealing  or  said 
to  be  dealing  with  its  practical  solution. 

Of  the  value  of  the  work  of  the  expedition  there 


ARAB  SLAVERS’  ATTACK  ON 


i04 


DAVID  LIVINGSTONE. 


could  be  no  question,  and  a brief  summary  of  its 
main  achievements  was  given  at  the  beginning  of  this 
chapter.  Since  then  the  great  Nyassa  Lake  had  been 
navigated,  and  the  possibility  of  a water-route  to  it 
by  the  Rovuma  negatived.  The  salubrity  of  the  ele- 
vated country  around  the  lake  and  the  higher  points 
along  the  Shire  valley,  and  not  directly  on  the  river, 
had  been  established,  and  the  extreme  fertility  of  the 
soil  proved  beyond  doubt.  And  last,  and  also  first, 
the  labours  of  the  expedition  had  tracked  the  slaver 
to  his  inland  haunts,  laid  bare  the  cruelties  and  evils 
which  followed  in  his  train,  and  pointed  out  the  way 
to  diminish  his  influence  and  circumvent  his  cunning. 
In  doing  all  this,  Livingstone  and  his  companions  had 
proved  to  the  natives  that  there  were  white  men  who 
neither  bought  nor  sold  their  fellow-creatures,  and  to 
whom  the  villainies  of  the  slave  trade  were  detestable. 
He  had  gained  for  the  name  of  the  English  both  the 
respect  and  affection  of  the  natives. 

He  had  done  this,  but  he  was  not  content.  Duty, 
as  he  saw  it,  beckoned  him  into  the  interior,  led  him 
on  to  further  labour.  There  was  to  be  no  turning 
back  for  him.  In  a letter  to  Mr.  Waller  he  said  : 
“ I don’t  know  whether  1 am  to  go  on  the  shelf  or  not. 
If  I do,  I make  Africa  the  shelf.”  The  expedition  might 
be  recalled  and  its  work  be  finished,  but  Livingstone 
had  not  yet  fulfilled  his  self-imposed  task,  and  his 
work  was  to  go  on.  The  hand  of  duty  was  beckoning 
to  him  from  the  heart  of  Africa,  and  he  now  prepared 
to  obey  it. 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

INDIA  AND  ENGLAND. 

BEFORE  he  could  penetrate  Africa  again  with  any 
chance  of  success,  Livingstone  well  knew  that 
he  must  raise  funds.  There  were  two  ways  of  doing 
this : first,  by  selling  the  Lady  Nyassa,  which  had  cost 
him  nearly  £ 6,000 ; and,  in  the  event  of  not  doing 
that,  by  going  to  England  and  raising  money  there. 
He  resolved  to  try  the  first. 

The  Portuguese  authorities,  on  hearing  that  the 
steamer  was  for  sale,  offered  to  buy  it,  but  Livingstone 
refused  to  sell  it  to  them,  knowing  that  it  would  soon 
be  subserving  their  purposes  by  helping  in  the  slave 
traffic.  He  then  sailed  up  the  coast  to  Zanzibar,  and 
here  again  he  had  some  offers,  but  the  sums  were 
considered  absurdly  small,  and  he  determined  to  try 
and  sell  her  in  a better  market.  With  this  object  in 
view,  he  made  up  his  mind  to  sail  the  little  ship  across 
the  Indian  Ocean  to  Bombay. 

On  the  last  day  of  April  1864,  he  started  on  this 
perilous  voyage.  Though  warned  that  the  breaking  of 
the  monsoon  would  probably  take  place  before  he  made 


S06  DAVID  LIVINGSTONE. 

port,  Livingstone  would  not  be  deterred.  It  is  likely 
enough  that,  having  seen  the  steamer  ride  out  a heavy 
cyclone  off  the  Mozambique  coast  without  receiving  any 
injury,  he  had  formed  a high  opinion  of  her  seaworthi- 
ness ; and  it  is  certain  that  she  had  never  shown  any 
cause  why  that  character  was  not  really  deserved. 

The  distance  was  some  two  thousand  five  hundred 
miles  ; and  though  Livingstone  had  calculated  that  he 
might  make  the  passage  in  something  under  twenty  days 
it  really  occupied  forty-five  days  ! Himself  skipper,  he 
had  three  Europeans  as  sailor,  stoker,  and  carpenter  ; 
seven  Zambesians,  ignorant  of  seamanship,  though  ac- 
customed to  river  navigation  ; and  two  lads.  Of  Chuma, 
one  of  these  lads,  we  shall  hear  again.  The  Doctor 
had  fourteen  tons  of  coal  put  in  the  hold  for  use  in 
calms  and  when  on  a dangerous  lee  coast. 

These  natives  turned  out  admirable  sailors ; for  in 
the  first  week  or  so,  when  two  of  the  Englishmen  were 
laid  up  with  fever,  they  learnt  and  performed  all  the 
simple  duties  of  seamen.  Their  “skipper”  writes  of 
them  : “ So  eager  were  they  to  do  their  duty,  that  only 
one  of  them  lay  down  from  sea-sickness  during  the 
whole  voyage.  They  took  in  and  set  sail  very  cleverly 
in  a short  time,  and  would  climb  out  along  a boom, 
reeve  a rope  through  the  block,  and  come  back  with  the 
rope  in  their  teeth,  though  at  each  lurch  the  performer 
was  dipped  in  the  sea.” 

The  Doctor  made  his  course  first  northerly  and  along 
the  east  coast,  in  order  to  take  advantage  of  a strong 
current,  and  then  in  a north-easterly  direction  to 
Bombay.  But  where  he  expected  to  find  a steady 
breeze  he  found  calms ; and,  what  with  constant  calms 
and  currents  almost  the  whole  way  across,  progress  was 
but  slow,  and  patience  extremely  difficult.  Indeed,  at 
times,  he  became  very  downcast,  and  wrote  in  his 
journal : “ I often  feel  as  if  I am  to  die  on  this  voyage, 
and  wish  I had  sent  the  accounts  to  the  Government, 


INDIA  AND  ENGLAND. 


107 


as  also  my  chart  of  the  Zambesi.”  Elsewhere  he 
wrote : “ Our  epitaph  would  be  ‘ Left  Zanzibar  on 
30th  of  April,  1864,  and  never  more  heard  of.’” 

About  a month  after  setting  out  the  little  ship 
encountered  a heavy  gale,  which  tore  the  sails  from  their 
bolt-ropes  and  sent  her  plunging  “ nose  under  ” through 
the  big  waves,  or  rolling  broadside  over  into  their  trough. 
Heavy  squalls  of  rain  became  more  frequent  as  the 
days  went  by,  and  in  one  of  these  the  foresail  was 
torn  to  ribbons — no  slight  loss.  Day  after  day  dawned 
wet  and  scowling,  and  the  Doctor,  knowing  that  the 
breaking  of  the  monsoon  was  due,  became  anxious. 

The  monsoon  dreaded  was,  of  course,  that  from  the 
south-west.  The  constant  south-westerly  wind  which 
blows  across  the  Indian  Ocean  during  the  summer 
months  of  the  year  gathers  up  an  enormous  amount 
of  moisture  as  it  sweeps  over  that  greatly  evaporating 
ocean,  and  on  coming  in  contact  with  the  cooler  air 
above  the  highlands  which  line  the  western  coast  of 
India,  this  quantity  of  moisture  assumes  the  form  of 
dense  black  clouds,  which  rush  over  the  Western  Ghats 
and  Nilgiris,  rolling  thunder  and  forking  lightning  over 
the  lofty  peaks  and  down  the  mountain  gorges,  and 
finally  bursting  in  a deluge  of  rain.  Day  after  day  it 
rains  incessantly.  Then  there  is  a pause,  only  to  be 
followed  in  July  by  more  rain.  The  rainy  season  is 
now  at  its  height.  Gradually  the  rain  ceases  until,  in 
September,  the  south-west  monsoon  departs,  as  it  came, 
in  a wild  fury  of  thunder  and  lightning,  and  is  succeeded 
by  the  north-east  monsoon  and  its  dry  cool  season. 

Well  might  Livingstone  dread  the  breaking  of  this 
weather-demon  over  the  little  Lady  Nyassa,  and  thankful 
indeed  was  he  when,  on  June  nth,  he  sighted  land. 
Both  wind  and  sea  were  high  at  the  time,  and  the 
horizon  hazy,  but  he  held  on  his  course,  steering  by 
compass  and  chart.  “ Wind  whistled  through  the  rig- 
ging loudly,  and  we  made  but  little  progress  steaming. 


108 


DAVID  LIVINGSTONE. 


About  midnight  a white  patch  reported.  Seemed 
a shoal,  but  none  is  marked  on  chart.  At  daylight 
we  found  ourselves  abreast  high  land  at  least  five 
hundred  feet  above  sea-level.  Hills  not  so  beautifully 
coloured  as  those  in  Africa.  We  had  calms  after  the 
squalls,  and  this  morning  the  sea  is  as  smooth  as  glass, 
and  a thick  haze  over  the  land.  A scum  as  of  dust  on 
the  face  of  the  water.  . . . We  came  to  lightship.  It 
was  so  hazy  inland  we  could  see  nothing  whatever ; 
then  took  the  direction  by  chart,  and  steered  right 
into  Bombay  most  thankfully.  I mention  God’s  good 
providence  over  me,  and  beg  that  He  may  accept  my 
spared  life  for  His  service.” 

Truly  a remarkable  voyage ! This  landsman,  this 
missionary  to  the  people  of  Central  Africa,  navigating 
a little  ship,  against  calm  and  current,  through  gale 
and  squall,  full  two  thousand  five  hundred  miles,  and 
steering  right  into  port,  safe  and  sound,  and,  undoubt- 
edly, most  thankfully.  He  was  indeed  the  type  of  all 
that  is  practical  and  able,  a master-spirit,  and  yet  a 
child  in  the  hands  of  his  God.  Fearless,  eager,  never 
too  old  to  learn,  though  always  willing  and  capable  of 
teaching.  If  ever  there  was  an  “ all-round  man,”  that 
man  was  David  Livingstone. 

After  a brief  sojourn  at  Bombay,  where  he  received 
much  kindness  from  Sir  Bartle  Frere,  the  then  governor, 
Dr.  Wilson,  the  eminent  missionary,  and  many  others, 
Livingstone  left  the  steamer  “ for  sale  ” in  dock,  and 
sailed  on  the  mail-packet  for  England,  arriving  there 
on  the  23rd  of  July. 

Nothing  but  kindness  awaited  him.  His  old  friend, 
Sir  Roderick  Murchison,  welcomed  him  as  a brother. 
Lord  Palmerston,  the  Earl  of  Shaftesbury,  the  Duke 
of  Argyll,  and  many  men  of  the  highest  importance  as 
well  as  rank,  paid  him  every  attention.  He  was  much 
comforted  by  conversations  he  had  with  Palmerston, 
whose  views  on  the  slave  trade  coincided  with  his.  He 


INDIA  AND  ENGLAND.  SO9 

soon  paid  his  old  friend,  James  Young,  a visit,  and 
thence  he  went  to  Hamilton  to  see  his  mother  and  his 
children.  Thence  to  Inveraray,  to  stay  with  the  Duke  of 
Argyll;  and  from  there  round  by  Ulva,  the  home  of  his 
Highland  ancestors,  to  Glasgow,  where  he  made  the  ac- 
quaintance of  the  veteran  Dr.  Duff,  then  lately  returned 
from  India,  and  so  back  again  to  Hamilton. 

In  August  an  old  friend  of  Kolobeng  days,  Mr. 
Webb,  of  Newstead  Abbey,  invited  him  to  make  his 
home  there,  and  though  the  invitation  was  accepted 
for  only  a short  period,  Livingstone  stayed  with  Mr. 
Webb  and  his  wife  nearly  the  whole  of  the  time  he  was 
in  England,  and  wrote  his  book,  “ The  Zambesi  and  its 
Tributaries,”  in  the  comfort  and  with  the  conveniences 
which  they  placed  at  his  disposal. 

This  book  was  not  entirely  Livingstone’s  work,  for 
he  incorporated  the  journal  of  his  brother  Charles,  and, 
indeed,  had  not  Dr.  Kirk  intended  to  publish  a separate 
book  on  the  natural  history  of  the  Zambesi  and  Shire, 
his  notes  also  would  have  been  included  and  his  name 
appeared  on  the  title-page.  Livingstone  never  grudged 
any  man  his  meed,  and  these  two  able  assistants  always 
received  the  fullest  recognition  at  his  hands.  Chiefly 
through  Livingtone’s  exertions  his  brother  received  the 
appointment  of  consul  at  Fernando  Po,  and  Kirk  was 
made  consul-general  at  Zanzibar.  Their  own  claims, 
however,  for  distinct  recognition  were  great;  and  when 
Dr.  Kirk  afterwards  received  the  Gold  Medal  of  the  Royal 
Geographical  Society,  “ for  his  long-continued  and  un- 
remitting services  to  geography,”  together  with  the 
Grand  Cross  of  the  Order  of  SS.  Michael  and  George, 
as  a proof  of  his  sovereign’s  approbation,  he  received 
no  more  than  was  his  due. 

Early  in  1865  Sir  Roderick  Murchison  entered  into 
correspondence  with  Livingstone  with  regard  to  future 
labours  in  Africa.  However  much  Murchison  might  be 
in  accord  with  the  Doctor  on  matters  geographical,  on 


I IO 


DAVID  LIVINGSTONE. 


questions  missionary  he  held  totally  different  views. 
This  comes  out  in  a letter  he  wrote  about  this  time, 
from  which  the  following  is  an  extract : — 

“ Quite  irrespective  of  missionaries  or  political  affairs, 
there  is  at  this  moment  a question  of  intense  geogra- 
phical interest  to  be  settled — namely,  the  watershed 
or  watersheds  of  South  Africa.  Now,  if  you  would 
really  like  to  be  the  person  to  finish  off  your  remarkable 
career  by  completing  such  a survey,  unshackled  by 
other  avocations  than  those  of  the  geographical  ex- 
plorer, I should  be  delighted  to  consult  my  friends  of 
the  Society,  and  take  the  best  steps  to  promote  such 
an  enterprise." 

Consequent  upon  this  Livingstone  entered  a note  in 
his  journal,  which  admirably  establishes  his  views  of 
the  question.  “ Answered  Sir  Roderick  about  going 
out.  Said  I could  only  feel  in  the  way  of  duty  by 
working  as  a missionary."  In  his  letter  he  had  said, 
“ My  inclination  leads  me  to  prefer  to  have  intercourse 
with  the  people,  and  do  what  I can  by  talking  to 
enlighten  them  on  the  slave  trade,  and  give  them  some 
idea  of  our  religion.”  This  is  but  harking  back  to  his 
original  idea,  when  working  among  the  Bakwains,  of 
a band  of  missionaries,  in  twos  or  threes  or  even 
singly,  passing  through  and  through,  up  and  down,  in 
and  out  the  whole  country,  sowing  the  seed  far  and 
wide,  and  publishing  the  glad  tidings  indeed  abroad. 
And  yet  there  were  not  wanting  those  who  said  he 
had  merged  the  missionary  in  the  explorer  1 

Writing  later  to  James  Young,  and  referring  to  this 
correspondence,  he  reiterated  his  statement  : “ I would 
not  consent  to  go  simply  as  a geographer,  but  as  a 
missionary,  and  do  geography  by  the  way,  because  I 
feel  I am  in  the  way  of  duty  when  trying  either  to 
enlighten  these  poor  people  or  open  their  land  to  lawful 
commerce." 

“ Duty  " — that  was  the  word,  the  motive.  It  was  the 


INDIA  AND  ENGLAND. 


1 1 1 


motto  of  his  life.  It  led  him  to  break  up  his  peaceful 
home  at  Kolobeng,  induced  him  to  leave  the  Makololo, 
among  whom  he  had  found  friendship  and  plenty,  and 
risk  the  perils  of  the  journey  to  Loanda  ; it  had  brought 
him  back  again  to  Linyanti,  and  thence  away  down  the 
Zambesi  to  Quilimane  ; it  had  urged  him  to  the  work 
of  the  expedition,  and  to  assume  the  most  irksome  post 
— that  of  navigating  the  boat,  while  the  others  held 
converse  with  the  natives,  or  examined  the  resources  of 
the  country ; it  had  taken  him  away  from  the  seclusion 
of  his  sorrow,  when  his  “ beloved  Mary  Moffat  ” was 
laid  to  rest  at  Shupanga ; it  had  roused  him  from  his 
own  bed  of  sickness  to  cheer  and  lead  ; brought  him 
in  trustfulness  across  the  stormy  ocean;  and,  now, 
compelled  him  to  oppose  his  best  friend  in  a matter  on 
which,  in  all  other  points,  they  were  agreed. 

While  this  correspondence  was  passing,  Livingstone 
went  to  Hamilton  for  the  purpose  of  attending  a prize- 
giving at  his  son's  school.  Called  upon,  as  usual,  to 
make  a speech,  he  spoke  to  the  children  in  his  simple 
kindly  fashion,  pointing  out  how  necessary  it  was  to 
be  practical  in  all  things,  and  concluding  with  an  earnest 
injunction  to  “fear  God  and  work  hard."  This  incident 
is  mentioned  here  as  having  given  an  impetus  and 
direction  to  the  life  of  a lad  who  heard  him  on  that  occa- 
sion, and  to  whom  further  reference  will  be  made  in 
this  book.  The  work  of  Frederick  Stanley  Arnot  is  one 
of  the  most  characteristic  portions  of  the  legacy  which 
Livingstone  has  left  to  us. 

In  the  spring  of  1865  he  was  offered,  without  so 
much  as  even  a hint  from  him  that  he  w7ould  care  for  it, 
the  appointment  of  British  consul  in  Central  Africa. 
With  a parsimony  and  narrowness  of  view  which  has 
characterized  the  relations  of  various  Governments  with 
some  of  the  very  best  men  of  this  generation,  this 
offer,  spontaneously  made,  was  coupled  with  the  stipu- 
lation that  no  pay  was  to  be  attached  to  the  post,  and 


112 


DAVID  LIVINGSTONE. 


that  no  pension  need  be  expected.  When  some  influ- 
ential friends  of  the  Doctor  remonstrated  with  the 
Foreign  Office  authorities,  it  was  intimated  that  a salary 
would  be  granted  when  Livingstone  settled  perma- 
nently somewhere — an  intimation  which  disclosed  a 
painful  ignorance  of  the  duties  and  difficulties  accom- 
panying such  a post  in  so  enormous  a region.  But 
Livingstone,  though  hurt  by  the  lack  of  generosity,  was 
too  enthusiastic  for  Africa  to  hesitate.  In  Africa  he 
knew  the  natives  had  never  heard  of  Cabinets,  General 
Elections,  or  Chancellors  of  the  Exchequer.  All  that 
had  been  done  for  them  appeared  in  the  light  of  per- 
sonal achievements  and  individual  influence.  Whether 
he  was  paid  or  not  for  his  labours,  the  poor  African 
whom  he  yearned  to  benefit  would  accept  or  reject  his 
efforts  and  his  teaching  on  purely  personal  grounds. 
So  he  determined  to  accept  the  appointment. 

Now  came  the  Geographical  Society’s  commission. 
Their  object  was  to  ascertain  the  watershed  of  South 
Central  Africa,  and  of  course  to  determine  whether  the 
ultimate  sources  of  the  Nile  were  to  be  found  among 
the  hills  or  lakes  of  the  interior  south  of  the  point  where 
Speke  and  Grant  had  seen  that  river  coming  from  the 
Victoria  Nyanza.  They  wished  also  to  settle  the  con- 
nection or  proximity  of  the  Nyassa  with  the  Tanganika. 
All  this  they  wanted  done  by  Livingstone,  and  thus  it 
is  that  we  find  him  starting  for  Africa  with  a twofold 
purpose. 

If  we  quote  his  own  words,  a clear  idea  will  be  gained 
as  to  his  own  intentions : “ I purpose  to  go  inland, 
north  of  the  territory  which  the  Portuguese  in  Europe 
claim,  and  endeavour  to  commence  that  system  on  the 
east  which  has  been  so  eminently  successful  on  the 
west  coast — a system  combining  the  repressive  efforts 
of  Her  Majesty’s  cruisers  with  lawful  trade  and  Chris- 
tian missions,  the  moral  and  material  results  of  which 
have  been  so  gratifying.” 


INDIA  AND  ENGLAND. 


”3 


This  referred  to  the  duties  of  his  consulship,  and  he 
then  proceeds  to  describe  the  work  he  had  undertaken 
to  do  for  the  Geographical  Society  : “ I hope  to  ascend 
the  Rovuma  or  some  other  river  north  of  Cape  Delgado, 
and,  in  addition  to  my  other  work,  shall  strive,  by 
passing  along  the  northern  end  of  Lake  Nyassa  and 
round  the  southern  end  of  Lake  Tanganika,  to  ascertain 
the  watershed  of  that  part  of  Africa.  In  so  doing,  I 
have  no  wish  to  unsettle  what  with  so  much  toil  and 
danger  was  accomplished  by  Speke  and  Grant,  but 
rather  to  confirm  their  illustrious  discoveries.” 

One  of  the  last  entries  in  Livingstone’s  journal  as  he 
was  bidding  farewell  to  his  friends  and  on  the  point  of 
leaving  London  for  ever  may  be  appropriately  quoted 
here:  “We  have  been  with  Dr.  and  Mrs.  Hamilton  foi 
some  time — good,  gracious  people.  The  Lord  bless 
them  and  their  household  ! Dr.  Kirk  and  Mr.  Waller 
go  down  to  Folkestone  to-morrow,  and  take  leave  of  us 
there.  This  is  very  kind.  The  Lord  puts  it  into  their 
hearts  to  show  kindness,  and  blessed  be  His  Name  1” 


8 


THR  MISSION  STATION,  L1V1NGSTON1  A.  NTaSSa  Laa*. 


CHAPTER  IX. 

NILE  OR  CONGO? 

THE  unsold  Lady  Nyassa  led  Livingstone  back  to 
Bombay,  and  his  presence  there  enabled  him  to 
find  a purchaser  for  the  vessel  which  he  had  bought 
out  of  the  profits  of  his  book,  and  on  which  he 
had  centred  so  many  hopes  for  the  tribes  around 
Lake  Nyassa — hopes  not  to  be  realised  in  his  own 
lifetime,  though  largely  fulfilled  at  this  day.  The 
vessel  had  cost  him  nearly  £6,000,  but  the  highest 
price  he  could  obtain  for  it  was  .£2,300;  and  as 
Livingstone  temporarily  lodged  that  sum  in  an  Indian 
bank,  which  subsequently  failed,  the  whole  of  the 
original  cost  was  lost. 

From  Bombay  he  sailed  to  Zanzibar,  bearing  to  the 
Sultan  a letter  of  introduction,  couched  in  the  most 
cordial  language,  from  Sir  Bartle  Frere,  the  governor, 
and  also,  as  a present  from  that  official  to  the  Zanzi- 
bar potentate,  the  steamship  in  which  the  Doctor  made 


NILE  OR  CONGO  ? 


siS 

the  passage.  After  some  delay  at  Zanzibar,  he  was 
conveyed  by  a British  gunboat  to  Mikindany  Bay, 
some  twenty  odd  miles  north  of  the  mouth  of  the  river 
Rovuma.  On  the  24th  of  March,  1866,  he  set  foot 
again  on  African  soil — a soil  he  was  destined  to  tramp 
southward  and  northward,  eastward  and  westward, 
without  intermission,  and  though  often  weary  yet  never 
wavering,  until  a Higher  Purpose  led  him  to  llala, 
and  thence  revealed  to  him  another  country — even  a 
heavenly. 

When  he  started  from  the  east  coast  he  had 
thirty-six  followers,  of  whom  thirteen  were  Indian 
Sepoys,  ten  hailed  from  Johanna,  one  of  the  Comoro 
Islands,  nine  were  Nassick  boys  trained  in  India,  two 
belonged  to  Shupanga,  and  two  were  Waiyaus.  One 
of  the  Shupanga  men  was  Susi,  and  of  the  Waiyaus 
one  was  Chuma.  These  men  will  be  heard  of 
again. 

The  Doctor  also  took  with  him  three  tame  Indian 
buffaloes,  six  camels,  and  several  mules  and  donkeys, 
in  order  to  test  the  range  and  result  of  the  bite  of 
the  tse-tse.  Unfortunately  these  poor  animals  were 
so  roughly  treated  by  some  of  his  men  that  the 
experiment  proved  of  no  value.  Its  attempt,  however, 
is  but  another  link  in  the  long  chain  of  evidence 
which  has  placed  before  our  eyes  a unique  example 
of  unwavering  purpose  in  Livingstone’s  endeavours  to 
benefit  the  African. 

As  he  slowly  ascended  the  Rovuma,  delayed  con- 
tinually by  these  animals  in  his  train,  the  miserable 
character  of  the  majority  of  his  followers  became  un- 
pleasantly evident.  He  suffered  so  much,  indeed,  from 
the  rascally  behaviour  of  the  Sepoys  that  he  finally  sent 
them  back  to  the  coast.  Some  of  the  Johanna  men  stole 
from  the  natives  of  the  villages  ; others  injured  the  crops 
by  carelessly  allowing  the  camels  and  buffaloes  to  stray 
into  them  ; others,  again,  would  hire  natives  tp  carry 


Ii6 


DAVID  LIVINGSTONE. 


their  burdens  for  them,  assuring  them  that  the  Doctor 
would  pay.  Sometimes  when  on  the  march  they  would 
lag  behind  and  lie  down  to  sleep  by  the  roadside  ; at 
others,  they  would  actually  throw  away  portions  ot 
their  loads  to  make  them  lighter;  one  man  had  twenty 
pounds  of  tea  to  carry,  and  he  deliberately  reduced 
that  moderate  burden  to  five  pounds  by  throwing 
away  the  rest.  Another  calmly  appropriated  a number 
of  yards  of  cloth  from  his  load,  and  packed  them 
in  his  own  bundle.  Having  lagged  behind  upon  one 
occasion,  they  killed  a young  buffalo — the  last  of  the 
buffaloes — and  ate  it.  Upon  coming  up  with  Living- 
stone the  explanation  volunteered  by  the  Sepoys  was 
that  a “tiger”  had  devoured  it.  Yes — there  was  no 
doubt  about  it — they  saw  the  tiger.  Livingstone 
queried,  “Did  you  see  the  stripes  of  the  tiger?” 
Yes— they  all  had,  most  distinctly.  There  being  no 
striped  tiger  in  Africa,  the  bottom  of  this  excuse 
was  very  soon  knocked  out. 

As  he  advanced  along  the  banks  of  the  Rovuma,  or 
deflected  his  course  into  the  neighbouring  country, 
Livingstone  found  the  soil  invariably  fertile  and  the 
land  well  watered.  But  the  slave  trade  had  already 
depopulated  many  districts,  and  on  several  occasions 
there  was  the  greatest  difficulty  in  getting  food.  Proofs, 
if  proofs  were  needed,  of  this  cursed  traffic  became  more 
and  more  common.  On  one  day  they  would  find  the 
corpse  of  a woman  who  had  been  tightly  tied  to  a tree 
and  left  to  starve,  since  she  was  too  weak  to  keep  up 
with  the  caravan.  The  next  day,  a half-starved  corpse 
would  be  found  lying  in  their  path — the  body  of  a poor 
wretch  who  had  been  done  to  death  with  an  axe.  Here 
two  men  lay,  still  fettered  in  the  goree , or  taming-stick, 
which  plays  so  great  a part  in  the  slave  trade.  And  there 
the  corpse  of  a mere  babe,  who  had  been  flung  into  the 
long  grass  by  the  wayside  in  order  that  its  mother’s 
strength  should  not  be  overtaxed. 


NILE  OR  CONGO  ? 


ii  7 


On  arriving  in  July  at  Mtarika’s,  Livingstone  re- 
proached the  chief  for  allowing  his  beautiful  country  to 
be  robbed  of  its  people,  and  the  long  stretches  of  once 
cultivated  fields  to  lapse  again  into  jungle.  Mtarika, 
though  of  unprepossessing  appearance,  took  the  reproof 
in  good  part,  merely  stipulating  that  the  Doctor  gave 
the  same  salutary  advice  to  the  other  chiefs.  Though 
perfectly  willing  to  sell  their  countrymen  into  slavery, 
they  did  not  like  to  be  associated  with  the  terrible  mor- 
tality which  attended  the  process ; and,  like  a great 
many  other  people  in  continents  other  than  Africa, 
their  logic  was  of  that  convenient  nature  which 
justifies  the  action,  while  it  ignores  the  immediate 
result. 

Leaving  Mtarika’s,  whose  large  settlement  was  situ- 
ated in  hilly  and  fertile  country,  and  at  a point  in  the 
Rovuma  where  that  river  was  about  a hundred  yards 
in  width,  the  Doctor  worked  his  way  south  through  a 
depopulated  district,  where  food  was  consequently  diffi- 
cult to  obtain,  and  arrived  at  Mataka’s  ten  days  later. 
This  chief  he  found  to  be  of  an  amiable  character, 
and  during  the  fortnight  he  stayed  at  his  settlement 
Livingstone  received  unstinted  hospitality,  and,  on  his 
part,  repaid  it  by  much  good  advice  as  to  the  better 
cultivation  of  the  country,  and  the  practical  wisdom  of 
forswearing  the  slave  trade.  “ One  day,”  he  writes  in 
his  journal,  “ calling  at  Mataka’s,  I found,  as  usual,  a 
large  crowd  of  idlers,  who  always  respond  with  a 
laugh  to  everything  he  utters  as  wit.  He  asked,  if 
he  went  to  Bombay,  what  ought  he  to  take  to  secure 
some  gold  ? I replied,  ‘ Ivory  ; ’ he  rejoined,  ‘ Would 
slaves  not  be  a good  speculation  ? ’ I replied  that 
if  he  took  slaves  there  for  sale  they  would  put  him 
in  prison.  The  idea  of  the  great  Mataka  in  ‘chokee’ 
made  him  wince,  and  the  laugh  turned  for  once 
against  him.” 

On  the  8th  of  August  the  Doctor  once  more  reached 


1 1 8 


DAVID  LIVINGSTONE. 


Lake  Nyassa — this  time  at  that  point  on  the  eastern 
shore  where  the  river  Misinje  empties  its  waters  into 
the  lake.  Here  he  rested,  wrote  up  his  journal,  and 
worked  out  a number  of  astronomical  observations 
which  he  had  made.  Among  the  notes  he  entered  at 
this  date  are  the  following  : — 

“ Some  men  have  come  down  from  Mataka’s,  and 
report  the  arrival  of  an  Englishmen  with  cattle  for  me. 
‘ He  has  two  eyes  behind  as  well  as  two  in  front.’  This 
is  enough  of  news  for  a while  ! ” 

“ Mokalaose  has  his  little  afflictions,  and  he  tells  me 
of  them.  A wife  ran  away.  I asked  how  many  he 
had ; he  told  me  twenty  in  all : I then  thought  he 
had  nineteen  too  many.  He  answered  with  the  usual 
reason,  ‘ But  who  would  cook  for  strangers  if  I had 
but  one  ? ' ” 

“ A leopard  took  a dog  out  of  a house  next  to  ours  ; 
he  had  bitten  a man  before,  but  not  mortally.” 

“ The  fear  which  the  English  have  inspired  in  the 
Arab  slave  traders  is  rather  inconvenient.  All  flee 
before  me  as  if  I had  the  plague,  and  I cannot  in  con- 
sequence transmit  letters  to  the  coast  or  get  across  the 
lake.” 

“ I made  very  good  blue  ink  from  the  juice  of  a berry, 
the  fruit  of  a creeper.” 

“ The  poodle-dog  Chitand  is  rapidly  changing  the 
colour  of  its  hair.  All  the  parts  corresponding  to  the 
ribs  and  neck  are  rapidly  becoming  red  ; the  majority 
of  country  dogs  are  of  this  colour.” 

Livingstone  had  left  the  country  of  the  Waiyau,  and 
was  new  among  tribes  of  the  Manganja  race.  Of  the 
latter  he  says  : “ They  have  great  manes  of  hair,  and 
but  little  if  any  of  the  prognathous  in  the  profile. 
Their  bodies  and  limbs  are  very  well  made,  and  the 
countenance  of  the  men  is  often  very  pleasant.  The 
women  are  very  plain  and  lumpy,  but  exceedingly 
industrious  in  their  gardens  from  early  morning  till 


NILE  OR  CONGO  ? 


119 

about  II  a.m.,  then  from  3 p.m.  till  dark,  or  pounding 
corn  and  grinding  it;  the  men  make  twine  or  nets 
by  day,  and  are  at  their  fisheries  in  the  evenings 
and  nights.  They  build  the  huts,  the  women  plaster 
them.” 

"A  lion  visited  a woman  early  yesterday  morning, 
and  ate  most  of  her  undisturbed.” 

After  crossing  a number  of  small  rivers,  Livingstone 
arrived  at  the  southern  extremity  of  the  lake  on  the  13th 
of  September,  and  in  his  journal  on  that  day  we  find 
this  entry : “ Many  hopes  have  been  disappointed  here. 
Far  down  on  the  right  bank  of  the  Zambesi  lies  the 
dust  of  her  whose  death  changed  all  my  future  pro- 
spects ; and  now,  instead  of  a check  being  given  to  the 
slave  trade  by  lawful  commerce  on  the  lake,  slave 
dhows  prosper.” 

Shortly  after  this,  the  Doctor  met  with  one  of  those 
morasses  he  subsequently  encountered  so  often,  and 
which  he  well  named  “sponges.”  An  African  sponge 
is  a bog,  formed  by  many  deposits  of  foliage,  twigs, 
branches,  and  the  like  on  river  sand.  In  course  of 
time  these  deposits  rot  and  form  a rich  black  humus, 
which  in  dry  weather  cracks  in  all  directions  in 
narrow  but  deep  fissures.  In  the  wet  season,  how- 
ever, this  loamy  humus  becomes  soft  slush,  and 
moves  like  a body  of  water  over  the  sand.  The 
obstacle  which  such  a mass,  spread  over  perhaps 
the  only  level  tract  of  country  within  many  miles' 
reach,  would  present  to  a traveller  can  be  very  readily 
imagined. 

In  the  latter  end  of  September,  the  Johanna  men, 
with  Musa  at  their  head,  deserted  the  Doctor  in  a body. 
They  had  behaved  in  an  atrocious  manner,  and  given 
him  infinite  trouble  from  the  very  first ; and  now,  owing 
to  a report  that  the  tribes  ahead  of  their  intended 
route  were  extremely  hostile,  they  laid  down  their  loads 
and  calmly  walked  off.  “No  good  country  that,”  Musa 


120 


DAVID  LIVINGSTONE. 


declared.  “I  want  to  go  back,  to  Johanna  to  see  my 
father  and  mother  and  son." 

Livingstone's  comment  is  characteristic  : “ They  have 
been  such  inveterate  thieves  that  I am  not  sorry  to  get 
rid  of  them."  But  he  did  not  know  at  the  time  what 
Musa's  cunning  and  careful  consideration  for  “number 
one  ” were  capable  of.  For,  being  desirous  of  getting 
his  pay  on  arriving  at  Zanzibar,  he  concocted  a “ cock 
and  bull  ” story  in  which  he  depicted  the  fearful  hos- 
tility of  the  natives  as  culminating  in  a ferocious  attack 
upon  the  whole  party,  and  the  murder  of  the  Doctor. 
Into  this  narrative  was  woven  a deal  of  circumstantial 
detail,  and  when  the  news  reached  England  the  greatest 
consternation  and  grief  were  felt.  There  were  not 
wanting  those  who  disbelieved  the  report,  however ; 
and  among  them  were  Horace  Waller,  who  had  known 
Livingstone  and  worked  with  him  on  the  Zambesi  and 
Shire  as  well  as  in  England,  and  Edward  D.  Young, 
who  had  also  done  good  service  on  the  Zambesi.  The 
latter  gentleman  was  commissioned  by  the  Geographical 
Society  to  search  for  Livingstone,  and  he  performed  his 
work  in  so  admirable  a manner  as  to  prove  beyond  all 
doubt  that  Musa  was,  as  he  had  supposed  him  to  be,  a 
liar.  For,  according  to  this  fellow,  Livingstone  had 
gone  round  the  north  of  the  lake,  and  not  the  south ; 
whereas  Mr.  Young  not  only  found  men  at  the  south 
end  of  the  lake  who  remembered  the  Doctor  well, 
but  also  learnt  from  Marenga,  the  chief,  all  about 
Livingstone’s  sojourn  there,  and  the  whole  story  of 
the  heartless  desertion  and  cowardice  of  the  Johanna 
men. 

And  all  the  while  Livingstone,  with  a diminished 
following,  was  slowly  journeying  northward  to  the 
Tanganika.  Here  is  a note  which  occurs  in  his 
journal  at  this  period  : “ As  for  our  general  dis- 
course, we  mention  our  relationship  to  our  Father; 
His  love  to  all  His  children — the  guilt  of  selling 


NILE  OR  CONGO  ? 


1 2 I 


any  of  His  children — the  consequence.  We  mention 
the  Bible — future  state — prayer  ; advise  union,  that 
they  should  unite  as  one  family  to  expel  enemies, 
who  came  first  as  slave  traders,  and  ended  by  leaving 
the  country  a wilderness.” 

The  question  of  the  watershed  of  this  part  of  Africa 
was  decided  by  Livingstone.  He  first  discovered  that 
the  Tanganika  did  not  belong  to  the  same  drainage 
system  as  the  Nyassa,  and  then  that  a whole  chain  of 
lakes,  extending  from  Bemba  or  Bangweolo  northward, 
was  traversed  by  one  great  river,  which  rose,  as  the 
Chambeze,  in  the  uplands  between  Nyassa  and  the 
Tanganika,  which  issued  successively  from  Bangweolo 
as  the  Luapala,  from  Lake  Moero  as  the  Luvwa,  and 
from  Lake  Kamolondo  as  the  Lualaba.  Within  a com- 
paratively short  distance  of  this  point  it  flows  past 
Nyangwe,  an  Arab  settlement  in  the  now  depopulated 
Manyuema,  and  this  spot  is  the  northern  limit  of  Living- 
stone’s investigations  into  the  river,  which  largely  occu- 
pied the  labour  of  the  last  years  of  his  life,  and  which 
he  believed  would  ultimately  be  found  to  flow  into  the 
Nile.  And  yet  he  would  often  pause  and  wonder  if, 
after  all,  the  Lualaba  turned  sharply  to  the  west,  and 
flowed  with  great  rapidity,  and  possibly — owing  to  the 
elevated  edge  of  the  central  plateau — over  lofty  falls,  to 
the  west  coast,  finally  entering  the  Atlantic  Ocean  as 
the  Congo.  Might  it  not  even,  since  the  natives  de- 
clared it  flowed  north  for  ever  and  ever,  reach  into  the 
far  Soudan,  and  form  a mighty  contributary  stream  of 
the  Niger  ? But  he  would  turn  away  time  and  again 
from  these  conjectures,  and  believe,  as  he  hoped,  that 
it  must  ultimately  prove  to  be  the  Nile  That  river, 
famed  in  sacred  as  well  as  profane  history,  had  an 
alluring  charm  for  him ; and  the  thought  that  it  might 
be  his  part  to  uncover  the  hidden  sources  of  the  river 
which  had  witnessed  the  wonderful  works  of  the 
Pharaohs,  and  the  still  more  marvellous  acts  in  which 


122 


DAVID  LIVINGSTONE. 


Moses  had  revealed  the  irresistible  power  of  the  One 
God  to  those  who  worshipped  the  white  bull,  seemed 
to  sanctify  all  the  toil,  and  reward  the  weariness  and 
pain  which  the  quest  after  this  “ holy  grail  ” of  his 
enjoined. 

On  the  1st  of  April,  Livingstone  first  sighted  Lake 
Tanganika,  at  its  southern  extremity.  The  journey 
northward  had  been  difficult.  Here  across  a country 
suffering  from  tribal  wars,  and  there  among  a people 
whose  crops  had  failed,  and  where  food  was  almost  un- 
obtainable. And  yet,  elsewhere,  he  would  find  a rich 
and  prolific  district,  and  the  people  well  nourished.  On 
his  march,  however,  two  men  whom  he  had  trusted  im- 
plicitly deserted  and  carried  off  his  medicine  chest,  with 
all  the  precious  quinine  and  other  remedies  he  pos- 
sessed. This  was  indeed  a loss  of  the  first  magnitude. 
Without  medicine  the  European  in  Africa  is  almost 
helpless ; henceforward  he  was  to  sustain  attack  after 
attack  of  fever  and  dysentery,  in  utter  helplessness  to 
ward  them  off  or  treat  them  properly.  He  says  in  his 
journal  at  the  time,  “ I felt  as  if  I had  now  received  the 
sentence  of  death.” 

Though  greatly  impressed  with  the  beauty  and  rich- 
ness of  the  environment  into  which  this  southern  tongue 
of  the  Tanganika  had  thrust  itself,  Livingstone  was 
too  ill  to  really  enjoy  the  success  he  had  gained.  The 
absence  of  medicine  brought  on  severe  attacks  of  fever, 
and  he  had  fits  of  insensibility  which  lasted  for  many 
hours  at  a time.  For  several  days  he  lost  all  power  in 
his  lower  limbs,  and  with  the  greatest  difficulty  entered 
a few  notes  into  his  journal. 

On  recovering  strength  enough  to  go  forward,  he 
passed  along  the  western  coast  of  the  Lake  for  a short 
distance,  and  then  struck  westward  in  search  of  the 
lakes  he  had  heard  of  in  that  region. 

At  the  village  of  Poe  da  he  fell  in  with  a half-caste 
Axab  who  of  late  years  has  come  in  for  a considerable 


NILE  OR  CONGO  ? 


12  3 


;hare  of  attention.  This  was  none  other  than  Tippo 
Tippo,  or  Tippu  Tip  (which  means  “ the-gatherer- 
together-of-wealth  ”),  whose  Arab  name  is  Hamid  bin 
Mohamed.  Some  eight  years  afterwards,  Stanley 
met  him,  and,  much  impressed  by  his  ability,  en- 
gaged his  assistance  for  the  first  stages  of  the 
descent  of  the  Congo.  It  will  be  within  the  recol- 
lection of  most  that  when  Stanley  ascended  the 
Aruwhimi  to  plunge  into  the  unknown  region  between 
him  and  Emin  Pasha,  he  appointed  Tippu  Tip  Governor 
of  Stanley  Falls.  This  act  has  occasioned  some  sur- 
prise among  many  who  are  familiar  with  Tippu  and 
such  men  as  he  ; but  Stanley  is  a man  of  such  capacity 
that  we  may  well  wait  before  passing  sentence  on  his 
judgment. 

Towards  the  end  of  November  1867,  Livingstone 
reached  the  town  of  the  then  Casembe  or  chief  of  the 
Lunda  tribes  living  between  Lakes  Moero  and  Bang- 
weolo.  On  the  8th  of  that  month  he  had  discovered 
Lake  Moero,  a lake  of  considerable  extent,  and  girt 
about  with  dense  tropical  vegetation.  As  the  year 
closed,  he  was  again  prostrated  with  a severe  attack, 
and  in  his  journal  we  find  the  following  entry  for  the 
1st  of  January,  1868:  “Almighty  Father,  forgive  the  sins 
of  the  past  year  for  Thy  Son’s  sake.  Help  me  to  be 
more  profitable  during  this  year.  If  I am  to  die  this 
year,  prepare  me  for  it.” 

The  first  six  months  of  the  year  were  occupied  in 
wanderings  about  the  country  which  he  had  reached, 
and  on  the  28th  of  July,  1868,  he  discovered  Bangweolo, 
one  of  the  largest  of  the  lakes  of  Central  Africa.  The 
length  of  the  lake  is  about  a hundred  and  fifty  miles,  its 
breadth  seventy-five — or,  in  other  words,  it  is  somewhat 
larger  than  Wales.  Its  shores  differ  from  Moero,  for 
nearly  all  round  are  vast  stretches  of  that  “ sponge  ” land 
which  has  been  previously  described.  In  the  course  of 
a march  some  thirty  miles  in  length  Livingstone  crossed 


124 


DAVID  LIVINGSTONE. 


no  fewer  than  twenty-nine  of  these  “ sponges.”  The  con- 
stant wettings,  the  continual  wadings,  the  entire  absence 
of  medicinal  remedies,  soon  told  upon  a weakened  frame. 
His  ability  to  travel  became  less  as  the  attacks  were 
more  frequent,  and  the  new  year  1869  came  in  when 
Livingstone  was  lying  on  a bed  of  sickness  and  almost 
mortal  pain. 

He  determined  to  go  to  ujiji ; and  in  company  with 
a friendly  Arab,  by  name  Mohamed  Bogharib,  he  set 
out  for  this  important  town  on  the  eastern  shores  of 
Tanganika.  The  year  previous  to  this  step  had  been 
spent  in  investigating  the  sources  of  the  river  which 
he  believed  would  prove  to  be  the  Nile — that  river 
whose  gift  to  the  world  is  Egypt.  That  he  was  wrong 
we  know  now ; but  the  indomitable  pluck  and  tenacity 
with  which  he  fought  against  every  form  of  difficulty 
remains  as  a brilliant  example  of  that  genius  which 
has  been  defined  as  the  capacity  for  taking  infinite 
pains. 

When  half-way  to  the  Tanganika  he  became  so  ill 
that  for  the  first  time  in  the  course  of  nearly  thirty 
years  he  was  carried  when  on  the  march.  With  the 
body,  the  mind  seemed  to  be  failing.  In  the  trees 
as  he  passed  along  ne  saw  figures  and  faces  of  men — 
even  himself  lying  dead.  “ When  I think  of  my  chil- 
dren and  friends,”  he  says,  “ the  lines  ring  through  my 
head  perpetually  : 

‘ I shall  look  into  your  faces 
And  listen  to  what  you  say, 

And  be  often  very  near  you 

When  you  think  I’m  far  away.”’ 

On  arriving  at  the  lake,  and  after  some  delay,  he 
was  put  into  a canoe.  “ Patience,”  he  says,  “ was 
never  more  needed  than  now.  I am  near  Ujiji ; but 
the  slaves  who  paddle  are  tired,  and  no  wonder ; 
they  keep  up  a roaring  song  all  through  their 


NILE  OR  CONGO  ? 


*25 

fcrurk  night  and  day.  . . . Hope  to  hold  out  to 

Ujiji.”  . . 

On  the  14th  of  March,  the  little  party  passed  the 
mouth  of  the  Malagarazi  River,  and  the  same  day 
arrived  at  Ujiji. 


CTmSSTNG  a '*  SPONGE.” 


CHAPTER  X. 

THE  LAST  JOURNEY. 

AS  soon  as  he  had  recovered  sufficient  strength 
to  walk,  Livingstone  prepared  to  set  out  for 
Manyuema,  which  lay  westward  of  the  northern  end 
of  the  lake,  and  for  the  Lualaba,  which  lay  westward 
again  of  Manyuema.  He  started  on  the  1 2th  of  July, 
1869,  and  reached  Bambarre,  a town  in  Manyuema,  on 
the  2 1 st  of  September. 

The  country  of  Manyuema  was  at  that  time  quite 
unknown.  Rumour,  however,  had  given  it  a bad 
character.  The  people  were  reported  to  be  cannibals; 
gorillas  or  sokos  abounded  in  their  country ; and, 
although  the  richness  of  the  region  and  density  of 
its  population  were  alike  indisputable,  terrible  tales 
of  peril  were  told  by  those  who  had  pierced  the 
interior.  But  Livingstone  wished  to  ascertain  the 
course  of  the  Lualaba  as  it  flowed  northward,  and 
if  possible  identify  it  with  tho  Nile.  No  “travellers’ 
tales  ” could  deter  him  ; so  he  started  directly  he  could. 
Ho  found  in  this  country  that  ryery  prospect  was 
pleasing,  and  “ only  man  was  vile.”  The  people  were 


THE  LAST  JOURNEY. 


I27 


far  too  much  addicted  to  the  delights  of  palm-toddy, 
and  the  enervating  effect  of  self-indulgence  was 
already  making  this  numerous  race  only  too  ripe 
for  the  raids  of  the  Arabs  and  their  slave-trading 
bands. 

He  made  an  attempt  to  navigate  the  Lualaba  for  some 
distance,  but  ill-health  and  the  sullen  obstinacy  of  the 
natives  sent  him  back  to  Bambarre.  In  June  1870  he 
started  again,  accompanied  only  by  three  “faithfuls" — 
Susi,  Chuma,  and  Gardner ; but  again  failing  health 
drove  him  back.  For  nearly  three  months  he  was 
laid  up  with  ulcers  on  the  feet,  and  this  may  help 
to  explain  the  following  remark  in  his  journal  : “ I 
read  the  whole  Bible  through  four  times  whilst  I was 
in  Manyuema.” 

But  in  spite  of  every  difficulty  he  had  done  some 
geographical  work,  and  had  named  some  of  the  dis- 
coveries made.  The  river  that  issued  from  the  chain 
of  lakes  which  had  been  the  scene  of  his  many  wander- 
ings was  called  Webb’s  Lualaba,  after  his  hospitable 
friend  of  Newstead  Abbey;  and  its  western  branch 
became  Young’s  Lualaba,  after  James  Young.  The 
latter  stream  issued  from  Lake  Lincoln — named  in 
honour  of  the  emancipator  of  four  million  slaves  in  the 
United  States.  But  while  he  was  thus  remembering 
old  friends,  and  perhaps  because  of  it,  he  became 
anxious  to  stay  his  steps  for  a long,  long  rest  : “ I have 
an  intense  and  sore  longing  to  finish  and  retire, 
and  trust  that  the  Almighty  may  permit  me  to  go 
home."  Yet  elsewhere  he  says,  with  sublime  resigna- 
tion, “ I commit  myself  to  the  Almighty  Disposer  of 
events.” 

The  1st  of  January,  1871,  still  finds  him  weak  and 
waiting  at  Bambarr6.  Then  ten  men  out  of  a much 
larger  number  arrived,  sent  from  Zanzibar  by  Dr.  Kirk, 
the  consul,  and  Livingstone’s  old  friend.  They  left 
Zanzibar  with  over  forty  letters  for  the  Doctor  : they 


128 


DAVID  LIVINGSTONE. 


arrived  with  one  I They  were  worthless  scoundrels, 
and  slaves,  to  boot.  As  soon  as  he  started  west- 
ward with  them  they  mutinied,  and  threatened  to 
return  to  their  comrades,  whom  they  had  left  at  Ujiji 
with  the  stores  for  the  Doctor,  and  who  w*-**  mean- 
while living  on  them.  By  dint  of  great  persistence, 
however,  Livingstone  managed  to  reach  the  Lualaba 
by  the  end  of  March,  and  to  his  deep  disappoint- 
ment he  then  found  that  the  river  had  a somewhat 
westerly  course,  and  was  more  probably  the  Congo 
than  the  Nile. 

On  reaching  Nyangwd,  his  farthest  point,  he  had  an 
acute  illustration  of  the  horrors  of  slaving.  During 
his  stay  in  that  settlement  some  Arabs  massacred 
several  hundreds  of  the  inhabitants,  without  an  hour’s 
notice,  in  an  attempt  to  establish  their  own  power. 
From  Nyangwd  the  carnage  spread  outwards,  and 
village  after  village  was  soon  in  flames,  and  murder 
and  robbery  rampant.  Moved  to  the  depths  of  his 
heart,  but  unable  to  do  anything  to  help  the  Manyuema, 
Livingstone  attempted  to  renew  his  explorations  ; but, 
forced  back  by  the  worthless  slaves  who  formed  his 
escort,  and  who  said  that  their  masters  at  Zanzibar  had 
told  them  to  return  on  meeting  him,  he  was  compelled 
to  retrace  his  steps  to  Ujiji,  some  six  hundred  miles 
distant.  In  the  worst  of  health,  a mere  “ruckle  of 
bones,"  as  he  put  it,  he  arrived  at  Ujiji  on  the  23rd  of 
October,  only  to  find  that  the  rascal  who  had  charge 
of  his  stores  had  stolen  the  whole  and  converted  them 
to  his  own  use. 

His  body  racked  by  pain  and  disease,  his  mind 
tormented  by  a series  of  bitter  disappointments,  his 
efforts  thwarted  and  hopes  blasted  by  the  conduct  of 
his  very  servants,  and  then  on  returning  at  last  to 
Ujiji  only  to  find  that  the  means  he  required  to  buy 
even  his  daily  bread  had  been  dissipated  by  a scoundrel 
who  had  added  to  the  crime  of  theft  the  vice  of  hypocrisy 


livingstonh’s  last  jouknhy 


*30 


DAVID  LIVINGSTONE. 


(the  fellow  had  divined  on  the  Koran,  and  found  that 
the  Doctor  was  dead), — surely  at  this  hour  Livingstone 
was  passing  through  a trial  fiery  enough  to  have 
consumed  all  his  patience  and  resignation  ! But  just 
at  this  moment,  when  his  spirits  were  at  their 
lowest  ebb,  help  of  the  most  unexpected  kind  was  at 
hand. 

On  the  ioth  of  November,  1871,  a well-equipped 
caravan  entered  Ujiji  to  the  usual  accompaniment  of 
gun-firing,  shouting,  and  singing.  Tents,  saddles, 
kettles,  and  a large  bath  figured  prominently  on  the 
heads  of  the  pagazis  or  carriers.  In  front  of  the 
advancing  company  the  American  flag  was  carried, 
proclaiming  to  Livingstone  the  nationality  of  the  new 
arrival.  The  caravan  was  that  which  was  fitted  out  by 
Mr.  Gordon  Bennett,  of  the  New  York  Herald , and  the 
white  man  in  command,  who  came  forward  with  such 
emotion  to  grasp  the  Doctor's  hands,  was  Henry  M. 
Stanley,  Welsh  by  birth  and  American  by  adoption, 
and  the  travelling  correspondent  of  that  enterprising 
paper.  He  came  with  unlimited  resources  at  his 
back,  not  only  to  find  Livingstone,  but  relieve  him 
as  well. 

Owing  to  a native  war  which  had  closed  the  ordinary 
caravan  route,  Stanley  had  been  obliged  to  leave  most 
of  his  stores  at  Unyanyembe,  the  great  Arab  settlement 
between  Ujiji  and  the  east  coast,  and  reach  the  lake 
by  a circuitous  path.  It  was  arranged  therefore  that  he 
and  Livingstone  should  return  together  to  Unyanyembe, 
and  that  the  Doctor,  who  in  spite  of  his  many  sufferings 
was  determined  not  to  go  home  till  he  had  finished  his 
work,  should  there  receive  a sufficient  quantity  of  cloth, 
beads,  and  stores  for  his  further  explorations.  While 
waiting  at  Ujiji,  however,  Stanley  and  he  proceeded  to 
the  north  end  of  the  lake  to  ascertain,  once  and  for  all, 
if  the  river  Lusizi  drained  the  Tanganika  or  merely 
flowed  into  it.  The  latter  was  found  to  be  the  case 


THE  LAST  JOURNEY. 


IS* 

and  the  long-disputed  question  of  the  connection  of  the 
Tanganika  with  the  Victoria  Nyanza  or  the  Albert 
Nyanza  was  decided  in  the  negative. 

On  returning  from  this  discovery,  Mr.  Stanley  was 
prostrated  by  fever;  and,  indeed,  throughout  the  journey 
to  Unyanyembe,  which  had  been  postponed  for  some 
weeks  on  account  of  his  illness,  he  suffered  more  01* 
less  from  fever,  and  at  times  was  so  weak  that  he  had 
to  be  carried  on  the  march.  When  Unyanyembe  was 
reached — on  the  l8tn  of  February,  1872 — Stanley 
handed  over  to  the  Doctor  a large  amount  of  stores  of 
every  description,  together  with  some  goods  which  had 
been  sent  to  Livingstone  from  England.  The  latter 
included  four  flannel  shirts  from  his  daughter  Agnes, 
and  two  pairs  of  good  English  boots  from  Horace 
Waller.  These  presents  were  particularly  welcome, 
as  the  Doctor  had  patched  and  cobbled  his  clothes 
till  they  would  hardly  hold  together.  Stanley  then 
hurried  to  the  coast,  in  order  to  send  back  a number 
of  trusty  men  as  carriers  for  the  Doctor’s  goods. 
Moreover,  he  bore  the  precious  journal,  which  dated 
from  six  years  back,  and  contained  a wealth  of 
information  about  countries  and  peoples  hitherto 
unexplored  and  unknown. 

At  Bagamoyo,  the  caravan  port  on  the  east  coast, 
Stanley  met  the  Geographical  Society’s  Livingstone 
Relief  Expedition.  But  their  work  had  been  antici- 
pated; and,  supposing  that  they  could  do  nothing  for 
the  Doctor  that  had  not  been  done,  the  officers  in 
charge  gave  up  the  idea  of  going  further,  and  returned 
to  Europe. 

When  Livingstone  shook  Stanley’s  uand  for  the  last 
time,  he  w'as  parting  with  the  only  white  man  he  had 
seen  in  the  last  six  years,  and  the  last  he  would  see  on 
this  earth.  The  farewell  between  these  two  men  was 
of  a most  affecting  nature,  for  both  knew  of  the  diffi- 
culties of  the  past  and  the  future;  and  during  the  four 


132 


DAVID  LIVINGSTONE. 


months  in  which  they  had  lived  together  in  no  common 
degree  of  familiarity,  they  had  regarded  each  other 
with  the  greatest  interest:  the  one,  a veteran  who  had 
borne  the  burden  and  heat  of  the  day  ; the  other,  a 
young  knight  who  had  but  just  won  his  golden  spurs. 
Although  as  unlike  as  possible  in  character,  Stanley  was 
to  take  up  much  of  the  work  which  the  Doctor  left 
unfinished,  and  carry  it  to  a successful  end.  Moreover, 
he  was  to  fill  in  the  public  eye  as  large  if  not  so  well- 
rounded  a space;  for  although  Stanley  has  little  of  the 
missionary  about  him,  he  has  achieved  such  herculean 
labours  in  Africa,  and  has  met  with  such  unqualified 
success,  that  he  may  well  be  regarded  as  the  greatest 
traveller  since  Livingstone’s  time. 

In  the  meanwhile  Livingstone  was  waiting  at 
Unyanyembe  for  the  men  Stanley  was  to  send.  He 
employed  much  of  the  time  in  writing  letters  and  noting 
down  what  he  could  learn  from  the  Arabs.  A few 
days  after  his  parting  with  Stanley  his  fifty-ninth  birth- 
day occurred,  and  in  his  journal  we  find  these  words  : 
“ I again  dedicate  my  whole  self  to  Thee.  Accept  me, 
and  grant,  O gracious  Father,  that  ere  this  year  is  gone 
I may  finish  my  task.  In  Jesus’  name  I ask  it.  Amen  ; 
so  let  it  be.  David  Livingstone.” 

In  May  he  wrote  a letter  for  the  New  York  Herald , 
and  it  is  in  this  letter  that  we  find  those  words  which 
have  struck  every  reader  with  their  pathetic  intenseness, 
and  which  may  now  be  seen  inscribed  upon  his  tomb 
in  Westminster  Abbey.  Thus  they  run  : “ All  I can 
add  in  ray  loneliness  is,  may  Heaven’s  rich  blessing 
come  down  on  every  one — American,  English,  or  Turk 
— who  will  help  to  heal  the  open  sore  of  the  world.” 
He  was  thinking,  as  ever,  of  the  gaping  wound  which 
slavery  had  made. 

Early  in  July  he  heard  of  Sir  Roderick  Murchison’s 
death,  and  it  touched  him  deeply  that  his  old  friend 
should  not  have  lived  to  know  of  Stanley’s  success, 


THE  LAST  JOURNEY. 


*33 


Murchison’s  constant  support,  through  thick  and  thin, 
had  always  been  a great  source  of  comfort  to  the 
Doctor  ; and,  speaking  of  the  “ sad  intelligence,”  he  says, 
“ Alas  ! alas  ! this  is  the  only  time  in  my  life  I ever 
felt  inclined  to  use  the  word,  and  it  bespeaks  a sore 
heart.” 

Later  in  the  month,  when  reflecting  in  his  journal  on 
missions  and  the  necessity  for  liberality  of  mind  and 
charity,  he  says  : “ I have  avoided  giving  offence  to 
intelligent  Arabs — who  having  pressed  me,  asking  if 
1 believed  in  Mohammed — by  saying,  ‘ No,  I do  not  : 
I am  a child  of  Jesus  bin  Miriam,’  avoiding  anything 
offensive  in  my  tone.” 

At  last  the  men  whom  Stanley  had  sent  off  arrived, 
and  they  proved  to  be  a very  good  lot.  Some  had  been 
with  Stanley  when  he  relieved  Livingstone,  and  others 
were  recruited  from  the  Geographical  Society’s  Expe- 
dition. The  Doctor  started  almost  immediately — on 
the  25th  of  August — and  reached  the  Tanganika 
about  six  weeks  later.  Following  the  eastern  shores, 
he  rounded  the  southern  point  of  the  lake,  and  in 
bad  health  struck  south,  and  then  west  for  Lake 
Bangweolo. 

The  rainy  season  was  upon  them.  Day  after  day  it 
rained  or  drizzled  or  hailed,  and  the  country  rapidly 
underwent  a change  for  the  worst.  Streams  became 
rivers,  and  rivers  mighty  and  resistless  torrents.  As 
the  mountain  slopes  of  Urungu  were  left  behind,  that 
disagreeable  feature  of  African  geography  to  which 
Livingstone  introduced  us — the  “ sponge  ’’—became 
frequent.  Where  te>ra  firma  was  met  with,  too  often  it 
was  overlaid  with  knee-deep  water.  To  make  matters 
worse,  the  natives  assumed  an  unfriendly  attitude,  and 
it  became  almost  impossible  to  obtain  food.  Fever 
and  an  aggravated  form  of  dysentery  laid  hold  of  the 
Doctor’s  worn-out  body,  and  reduced  his  strength  to 
such  an  extent  that  once  apain  he  had  to  be  carried  bv 


134 


DAVID  LIVINGSTONE. 


his  men  on  a kitanda,  a light  palanquin  with  a wooden 
framework.  They  were  splashing  through  the  endless 
sponges  round  the  east  end  of  Lake  Bangweolo,  and 
pushing  forward  through  innumerable  difficulties.  All 
the  symptoms  of  his  illness  became  more  acute,  and 
he  suffered  most  excruciating  pain.  Several  times  he 
fainted  from  loss  of  blood,  and  a drowsiness  seemed 
to  steal  over  him  ever  and  again.  The  entries  in  his 
journal  became  shorter  and  shorter,  until  at  last  only 
the  dates  appeared  : he  was  too  weak  to  write  more. 
Yet  we  learn  from  Susi  and  Chuma,  his  faithful 
servants,  that  he  frequently  asked  questions  of  the 
natives  with  regard  to  distant  hills,  the  rivers  they  were 
crossing,  whence  they  came  and  whither  they  flowed. 

On  the  27th  of  April,  1873,  his  last  entry  is  made 
in  the  journal.  It  must  have  cost  a great  effort, 
for  all  day  he  had  lain  in  a stupor,  brought  on  by 
intense  weakness.  These  are  the  last  words  that  he 
wrote  : — 

“27th  April,  1873.  Knocked  up  quite,  and  remain 
— recover — sent  to  buy  milch  goats.  We  are  on  the 
banks  of  the  Molilamo.” 

To  the  last  he  preserved  his  habit  of  faithfully  re- 
cording the  geographical  features  of  his  position. 

On  the  following  day  he  was  gently  lifted  off  his  bed, 
laid  in  a canoe,  and  ferried  across  the  river.  He  was 
then  as  gently  replaced  on  the  kitanda , and  borne  along. 
He  was  now  near  the  village  of  Chitambo,  at  the 
southern  extremity  of  Bangweolo,  and  the  men  hastened 
to  reach  this  resting-place.  Through  dreary  stretches 
of  water  they  steadily  splashed  their  way.  Whenever 
a fairly  dry  patch  was  reached,  he  begged  them  to  lay 
him  down  and  let  him  stay.  The  brave  fellows  did 
what  they  could  to  encourage  him,  and  on  the  evening 
of  the  29th  they  reached  the  village.  During  the  day 
he  had  been  so  faint  as  to  be  unable  to  articulate  at 
times.  Some  of  the  men  had  been  thoughtfully  sent  on 


DAVID  LIVINGSTONE. 


136 

in  front  to  build  a hut  for  him,  and  shortly  after  arriving 
the  Doctor  was  laid  down  upon  his  bed. 

On  the  following  morning  the  chief,  Chitambo,  came 
to  call  upon  him,  but  the  Doctor  was  too  ill  to  talk  with 
him.  In  the  afternoon  Susi  placed  his  watch  in  the 
palM  of  the  Doctor's  hand,  and  held  it  there  while  for 
the  last  time  the  key  was  slowly  and  with  difficulty 
turned.  Some  hours  later,  shortly  before  midnight,  he 
asked  Susi,  “Is  this  the  Luapula?"  His  mind  was 
evidently  failing. 

An  hour  later,  he  asked  Susi  to  bring  the  medicine 
chest.  Selecting  the  calomel  with  great  difficulty,  he 
told  Susi  to  pour  some  water  into  a cup,  and  then  said 
in  a low  indistinct  voice,— 

“ All  right : you  can  go  out  now.” 

They  were  the  last  words  that  his  fellow-creatures 
ever  heard  him  speak. 

Shortly  before  dawn  on  the  1st  of  May,  a lad  who 
slept  within  the  hut  to  attend  to  his  needs  awoke  Susi, 
Chuma,  and  two  or  three  more,  saying  he  feared  the 
master  was  dead.  They  entered  the  hut,  and  by  the 
dim  light  of  the  candle  which  was  still  burning  they 
saw  the  Doctor  kneeling  on  his  knees  beside  the  bed, 
his  face  resting  on  both  hands,  and  his  body  leaning 
against  the  edge.  They  gazed  in  doubt  for  a few 
moments  ; but  there  was  no  stir,  no  breathing.  One 
stepped  forward  and  laid  his  hand  on  the  worn  and 
hollow  cheek.  It  was  cold.  The  master  was  indeed  dead  1 
While  in  the  act  of  praying  to  his  God,  the  heroic 
soul  had  passed  away.  We  shall  never  know  what 
prayer  he  made  ; but,  knowing  the  set  purpose  of  his 
life,  the  great  desire  with  which  his  whole  being  was 
possessed,  we  may  well  and  with  reverence  think  that 
in  committing  his  spirit  into  the  hands  of  the  God  who 
gave  it  he  did  not  omit  to  plead  for  the  healing  of  that 
great  “ open  sore  of  the  world,"  in  probing  which  he 
had  laid  down  ms  life. 


THE  LAST  JOURNEY. 


137 


One  thing,  however,  was  certain.  The  spirit  of  him 
who  had  travelled  up  and  down  Africa  for  over  thirty 
years,  whose  heart  was  given  to  her  cause,  and  whose 
feet  never  seemed  to  weary  for  her  sake — this  noble, 
glorious  soul  had  now  journeyed  to  that  undiscovered 
country  from  whose  bourn  no  traveller  returns.  Living- 
stone was  dead.  How  much  that  meant  ! This  “ child 
of  Jesus  bin  Miriam,”  this  intensely  human  devotee  to 
God,  had  laid  down  the  cross  only  to  receive  the  crown  ; 
he 


“ Climbed  the  steep  ascent  of  heaven, 
Through  peril,  toil,  and  pain  ; ” 


racked  with  bodily  torment,  he  knelt  beside  his  bed 
in  far-away  Ilala,  and  slept  only  to  awake  with  Christ 
and  be  satisfied.  “ Africa,  his  own  dear  Africa,  with 
all  her  woes  and  sins  and  wrongs,”  was  to  hear  no 
more  the  voice  of  him  crying  in  her  wilderness ; 
no  more  could  he  plead  her  cause  before  the  great 
ones  of  the  world.  And  yet,  though  the  Light  of  that 
Dark  Continent  was  itself  darkened,  the  gleam  would 
linger  and  illumine  the  gloomy  places.  Men  would 
come  and  gaze,  and  kindle  their  torches  as  they  fol- 
lowed in  those  well-known  steps  and  fought  afresh  his 
old  crusade,  and  little  by  little  the  light  would  steal 
over  the  mountains  and  ray  down  upon  the  rivers  and 
lakes,  and  the  people  would  turn  toward  it  and  say, 
" Behold,  the  Dayspring  is  at  hand.”  And  he  who 
bore  the  torch  through  the  long  dark  night  will  be 
remembered  then.  Not  that  he  will  need  it — the  toil 
and  pain  and  sorrow  will  have  vanished,  and  for  ever. 
Ay,  “ Blessed  are  the  dead  that  die  in  the  Lord  ; for 
they  rest  from  their  labours,  and  their  works  do  follow 
them.” 

The  beauty  of  his  character  was  not  lost  on  the  poor 
blacks  who  were  with  him.  With  a fidelity  which  is 
rare  in  story,  and  a sense  of  responsibility  almost 
unknown  in  benighted  Africa,  his  servants  prepared  to 


*3« 


DAVID  LIVINGSTONE. 


convey  his  body  and  personal  effects  back  to  his  own 
people.  They  buried  his  heart  and  internal  organs 
under  a tree,  and  marked  the  grave  so  that  it  might 
be  recognised.  His  body  they  dried  in  the  sun,  and 
embalmed  in  the  best  way  they  could.  Wrapping  it  in 
calico  and  bark,  and  covering  the  whole  with  canvas, 
they  set  out  on  their  long  and  difficult  journey  to 
Zanzibar.  Numerous  dangers  threatened  them,  and 
time  and  again  they  were  surrounded  by  hostile  bands — 
hostile  chiefly  through  a superstitious  fear  of  the  dead. 
But  still  they  persevered  ; and,  after  behaving  with  a 
courage  and  devotion  worthy  of  their  beloved  master, 
they  at  length  brought  his  mortal  remains  safely  to 
the  coast,  together  with  the  whole  of  his  personal 
effects.  Nearly  a year  had  been  occupied  by  the 
journey.  Not  a note  or  jotting  of  all  those  last 
seven  years  of  Livingstone’s  life  was  lost,  and  it  is 
entirely  owing  to  Susi  and  Chuma  and  their  faithful 
companions  that  this  is  so.  Our  debt  to  these  fine 
fellows  no  reward  could  wipe  out.  It  is  an  enduring 
obligation. 

On  the  15th  of  April,  1874,  the  body,  accompanied 
by  Susi  and  Chuma,  arrived  in  England.  It  was  taken 
to  the  rooms  of  the  Geographical  Society,  and  there 
identified — partly  by  the  false  joint  in  the  upper  arm, 
which  had  developed  when  the  lion  mangled  him  long 
years  before  at  Mabotsa. 

Three  days  later,  among  those  who  had  worked  with 
him  and  for  him,  in  the  presence  of  the  mighty  dead 
as  well  as  the  mighty  living,  he  was  laid  to  rest  in 
Westminster  Abbey.  Moffat  and  Oswell,  Steele  and 
Webb,  Waller  and  Kirk,  Young  and  Stanley,  were  there 
to  pay  a last  tribute  of  affection  to  their  old  comrade  ; 
and  all  who  were  present  were  closely  drawn  to  him 
through  ties  of  admiration  for  his  character  and 
sympathy  for  his  cause.  In  former  years,  when  he 
returned  from  Africa,  he  had  received  the  ringing 


Livingstone’s  followers  bringing  his  body  to  the  coast. 


140 


DAVID  LIVINGSTONE. 


welcome  of  a nation.  Upon  that  day  when  he  came 
again  for  the  last  time,  as  he  was  laid  to  rest  in 
the  Abbey,  that  nation,  stricken  with  grief  though 
hardly  yet  aware  of  all  his  greatness,  bade  him  a 
mute  farewell. 


f HE  UNIVERSITIES  MISSION  SlfcAMER,  " CHARLES  JANSEN,'  OFF  LIVINGSIONIA 


CHAPTER  XI. 

Livingstone’s  legacy. 

WHEREVER,”  writes  Professor  Drummond,  in 
his  admirable  book  on  “Tropical  Africa 
a book  which  is  distinguished  by  the  merit  of  brevity 
among  a score  and  more  works  on  Africa  as  cumbrous 
as  the  subject  with  which  they  deal — “ Wherever  David 
Livingstone’s  footsteps  are  crossed  in  Africa,  the  fra- 
grance of  his  memory  seems  to  remain.”  Confirmation 
of  this  statement,  though  it  is  really  unnecessary,  is 
found  in  the  following  anecdote,  told  by  the  Rev. 
Chauncy  Maples  : — 

“ While  staying  with  Matola,  I was  told  there  was  a 
man  who  specially  wanted  to  see  his  English  visitors, 
because  he  had  known  something  of  a white  man  in  old 
days,  and  if  we  were  at  all  like  him  he  should  like  to 
make  our  acquaintance.  I desired  that  he  might  be 
presented  to  us.  Forthwith  he  came — a pompous  old 
man,  who  spoke  in  a dignified  manner,  and  who  had 
evidently  some  information  to  communicate.  Over  his 
right  shoulder  there  hung  an  old  coat — mouldy,  partially 


142 


DAVID  LIVINGSTONE. 


eaten  away,  but  still  to  be  recognised  as  of  decidedly 
English  make  and  material.  ‘ Whose  was  it  ? ’ I thought, 
as  he  began  with  much  mystery  to  tell  of  a white  man 
v ho,  ten  years  ago,  had  travelled  with  him  to  Mataka’s 
town  ; a white  man,  he  said,  whom  to  have  once  seen 
and  talked  with  was  to  remember  for  ever  ; a white  man 
who  treated  black  men  as  his  brothers,  and  whose 
memory  would  be  cherished  all  along  that  Rovuma 
valley  after  we  were  all  dead  and  gone.  Then  he 
described  him — a short  man  with  a bushy  moustache 
and  a keen,  piercing  eye,  whose  words  were  always 
gentle,  and  whose  manners  were  always  kind,  whom 
as  a leader  it  was  a privilege  to  follow,  and  who  knew 
the  way  to  the  hearts  of  all  men.  This  was  the  de- 
scription this  African  savage  (as  men  speak)  gave  of 
Dr.  Livingstone.” 

Livingstone’s  personality,  indeed,  has  achieved  more 
than  even  lasting  impressions.  He  left  the  nation  a 
rich  legacy.  He  laid  it  upon  their  sense  of  right  to 
carry  on  the  work  which  had  dropped  from  his  hands. 
To  this  responsibility  they  have  shown  themselves 
awake,  and  the  death  of  the  most  admirable  labourer 
in  the  vast  field  of  Africa  gave  an  impetus  to  geo- 
graphical and  missionary  enterprise,  which  has  gone  on 
increasing  to  the  present  time.  By  deeds,  not  words, 
we  recall  David  Livingstone  to  mind  ; by  deeds,  not 
words,  we  expect  to  recognise  his  successors. 

Livingstone’s  legacy  is  duplex  in  form.  The  first 
thing  he  left  his  countrymen  to  do  was  the  extension 
of  missionary  teaching,  coupled  with  the  further  develop- 
ment of  those  regions  of  Africa  he  had  done  so  much 
to  open  to  the  Christian  preacher.  The  second  part  of 
this  legacy  is  a herculean  task  : it  is  nothing  less  than 
the  eradication  of  slavery,  chiefly  by  the  substitution  of 
legitimate  commerce,  and  the  fighting  a crusade  against 
those  influences  which  foster  the  slave  trade. 

A brief  history  of  how  the  first  portion  of  this 


LIVINGSTONE'S  LEGACY. 


1 43 


bequest  has  been  interpreted  it  is  the  province  of  this 
chapter  to  relate. 

Almost  the  first  sign  of  what  has  been  called 
Livingstone’s  legacy  is  found  in  the  search  expedition 
of  Mr.  Edward  Young,  when  the  Doctor  was  yet 
living.  Musa’s  lying  story  had  reached  England,  and 
the  Government  despatched  Mr.  Young  to  ascertain 
whether  the  reported  death  of  Livingstone  were  true. 
As  has  been  related  in  this  book,  within  the  short 
space  of  eight  months  Mr.  Young  ascended  the  Zam- 
besi and  Shird,  and,  by  personal  investigations  on 
the  southern  shores  of  Lake  Nyassa,  proved  the 
report  to  be  without  foundation.  The  question  na- 
turally arises,  How  was  such  speed  possible,  seeing 
that  the  steamer  had  to  be  taken  to  pieces,  conveyed 
past  the  Murchison  Cataracts,  and  put  together  again, 
going  and  coming?  The  answer  is  instructive.  It 
was  the  name  of  Livingstone — the  charm  of  that  man’s 
influence  on  the  native  mind — which  enabled  this  to  be 
done.  Willing  workers  came  in  by  hundreds,  who  not 
only  laboured  with  eagerness  at  the  task,  but  hailed  the 
return  of  the  English  with  unbounded  joy.  Mr.  Young’s 
passage  up  the  Shire  was  a triumphal  progress.  And 
this  reception  at  the  hands  of  the  natives  was  not 
merely  the  exuberance  of  excitement,  for  there  was 
proof  to  the  contrary.  The  graves  of  those  who  died 
in  the  first  days  of  the  Universities  Mission  had  been 
kept  scrupulously  clean.  These  were  the  firstfruits  ! 

The  next  were  posthumous.  Two  years  after  the 
Doctor’s  death,  Mr.  Young  again  ascended  the  Shire, 
to  again  receive  the  welcome  of  the  natives.  The 
steamer  which  he  brought  with  him  upon  this  occasion 
was  not  to  return.  Livingstone’s  long-cherished  aim 
was  to  be  fulfilled.  A steamer  was  to  be  placed  on  the 
waters  of  the  Nyassa  1 His  work  was  indeed  being 
taken  up,  and  in  his  own  spirit  too.  For  this  was  not 
the  action  of  any  one  sect,  but  the  united  effort  of  all 


*44 


DAVID  LIVINGSTONE. 


the  Christian  Churches  of  his  native  Scotland.  The 
origin  of  this  new  mission  was  closely  connected  with 
Livingstone,  for  it  was  chiefly  owing  to  Dr.  James 
Stewart  that  the  initiation  of  the  enterprise  took  place  ; 
and  long  years  before,  at  the  time  of  Mrs.  Livingstone’s 
death,  Dr.  Stewart  had  come  out  to  the  Zambesi  to  see 
what  could  be  done.  He  it  was  who  laid  the  Doctor’s 
beloved  “ Mary  Moffat  ” to  rest  under  the  baobab  tree 
at  Shupanga,  and  spoke  the  words  of  consolation  beside 
her  grave.  He  had  returned  to  Scotland,  and  reported 
that  it  would  be  better  to  wait  a while;  but,  at  the  same 
time,  he  was  deeply  impressed  with  the  harvest-field 
of  which  he  had  seen  but  a glimpse.  He  now  stirred 
up  the  Churches;  and,  having  fitted  himself  for  more 
valuable  work  by  entering  the  medical  profession,  he  it 
was  who  renewed  the  work  of  Christ  upon  the  shores 
of  Nyassa. 

This  work  has  prospered  greatly.  Several  of  the 
missionaries  are  doctors,  and  are  healing  the  bodies 
of  those  whose  souls  they  are  bringing  to  the  Great 
Physician.  At  one  place  on  the  lake,  at  Bandawe, 
more  than  ten  thousand  visits  have  been  registered  in 
one  year.  Among  the  Angoni — those  fierce  marauding 
tribes  for  fear  of  whom  Musa  and  his  wretched  Johanna 
comrades  had  deserted  Livingstone — these  medical 
officers  are  doing  a great  work.  At  Livingstonia,  the 
chief  settlement,  which  is  situated  on  Cape  Maclear,  at 
Bandawe,  and  other  stations,  thousands  and  thousands  of 
children  have  been  taught  to  read  and  write  the  “sound 
words”  of  the  Gospel  of  brotherly  love.  The  writings 
of  the  Evangelists,  the  best  hymns  of  the  Churches,  and 
works  of  smaller  interest  but  great  value,  have  been 
translated  into  the  native  tongue,  so  that  the  people 
may  read  and  understand.  And,  further,  still  working 
in  the  spirit  of  Livingstone,  the  natives  have  been 
trained  to  preach  to  their  fellows. 

That  they  can  be  thus  trained  we  have  lately  received 


LIVINGSTONE’S  LEGACY. 


145 


a striking  testimony  from  Professor  Drummond.  Among 
his  escort  in  Africa  was  one  Moolu,  a native  Christian, 
whom  he  had  taken  from  the  mission  station  under  Dr. 
Laws  at  Bandawe.  “‘Mission-blacks,’”  he  says,  “in 
Natai  and  at  the  Cape  are  a by-word  among  the  un- 
sympathetic; but  I never  saw  Moolu  do  an  inconsistent 
thing.  He  could  neither  read  nor  write;  he  knew  only 
some  dozen  words  of  English;  until  seven  years  ago 
he  had  never  seen  a white  man;  but  I could  trust  him 
with  everything  I had.  He  was  not  ‘pious;’  he  was 
neither  bright  nor  clever;  he  was  a commonplace  black; 
but  he  did  his  duty,  and  never  told  a lie.  The  first 
night  of  our  camp,  after  all  had  gone  to  rest,  I re- 
member being  roused  by  a low  talking.  I looked  out 
of  my  tent ; a flood  of  moonlight  lit  up  the  forest;  and 
there,  kneeling  upon  the  ground,  was  a little  group 
of  natives,  and  Moolu  in  the  centre  conducting  evening 
prayers.  Every  night  afterwards  this  service  was  re- 
peated, no  matter  how  long  the  march  was  nor  how 
tired  the  men.  I make  no  comment.  But  this  I will 
say — Moolu’s  life  gave  him  the  right  to  do  it.” 

Before  reaching  the  lake,  and  half-way  between 
Chibisa  and  Magomero,  the  first  stations  of  the 
Universities  Mission  of  1862-64,  there  stand  in  the 
healthy  district  of  the  Shire  highlands  the  stations  of 
Blantyre  and  Mandala.  The  idea  of  Blantyre  is  also 
Livingstone’s,  for  it  combines  the  industrial  and  the 
evangelical.  It  was  started  in  1876,  the  director  being 
a medical  missionary,  and  his  five  assistants  artisans. 
From  time  to  time  this  little  force  has  been  recruited, 
but  the  dominant  idea  has  been  maintained.  To-day,  if 
one  visits  the  stations  of  Blantyre  and  Mandala,  the 
good  work  achieved  by  the  Church  of  Scotland  is 
pleasantly  visible.  Many  of  the  native  lads  who  have 
been  educated  in  the  mission  schools  make  admirable 
servants  or  interpreters  for  the  active  missionaries  and 
their  occasional  guest,  the  African  traveller ; and  the 

10 


146 


DAVID  LIVINGSTONE. 


influence  for  peace  and  industry  which  these  lonely 
lodges  in  the  wilderness  exert  on  the  neighbouring 
tribes  is  remarkable.  At  Blantyre  alone  over  ,£30,000 
has  been  expended ; and,  fortunately,  with  excellent 
results.  The  buildings  of  the  mission  are  of  brick,  and 
the  land  has  been  extensively  cultivated.  With  the  aid 
of  skilled  carpenters  and  gardeners  a large  industry 
has  been  developed,  and  private  enterprise,  conducted 
on  sound  lines,  has  helped  to  extend  the  efforts  of  the 
missionaries.  Many  of  the  sons  of  neighbouring  chiefs 
have  been  and  still  are  educated  in  the  schools,  and 
here  and  there  are  outposts  officered  by  trained  native 
teachers. 

Passing  northward  and  still  in  Livingstone’s  footsteps, 
we  meet  with  the  Universities  Mission.  Since  1877 
this  mission  has  been  working  on  the  mainland  as  well 
as  at  Zanzibar.  Its  sphere  of  labour  has  spread  from 
the  east  coast  to  the  shores  of  Nyassa  itself.  It  has 
pushed  on  through  Makuas  and  Yaos  and  Manganja, 
and  placed  its  own  steamer  on  the  lake.  Great  diffi- 
culties have  attended  the  opening  up  of  this  work, 
owing  to  the  marauding  Makwangwara,  who  devastate 
the  cultivated  fields  of  the  more  agricultural  tribes,  and 
render  life  uncertain  and  successful  labour  precarious. 
Enormous  sums  have  been  spent  in  developing  this 
enterprise,  and  not  without  returns ; but  this  would 
seem  to  be  the  most  gigantic  task  which  any  of  the 
societies  have  tackled,  and  progress  must  be  estimated 
at  a higher  value.  The  unhealthy  climate  is  not  the 
least  of  the  difficulties,  and  the  mortality  among  the 
missionaries  has  been  very  great.  Nearly  a hundred 
agents  are  spread  about  this  region,  and  they  are 
constantly  recruited  from  the  headquarters  at  Zanzibar, 
where  preachers,  teachers,  mechanics,  and  artisans  are 
trained  for  the  work  Considerably  over  .£50,000  has 
been  spent  in  this  district ; and,  though  costly  both 
in  lives  and  money,  the  influence  of  the  disinterested 


LIVINGSTONE’S  LEGACY. 


147 


conduct  of  the  members  of  the  mission  has  not  been 
lost  on  the  natives. 

The  Tanganika  has  been  occupied  by  the  London 
Missionary  Society,  which  under  the  most  hostile  cir- 
cumstances has  done  good  work.  Along  the  caravan 
route  through  Unyamwezi  and  Usagara,  the  Church 
Missionary  Society  has  established  stations,  as  well 
as  devoting  much  of  its  strength  to  Uganda,  the 
Victoria  Nyanza,  and  the  region  between  that  lake 
and  Mombasa.  Many  have  fallen  before  the  climate, 
some  have  perished  by  the  sword,  but  the  light  of 
Gospel  teaching  and  the  beauty  of  dwelling  together 
in  unity  have  been  made  manifest. 

Turning  from  this  point  on  the  east  coast  to  far  Angola 
on  the  west,  the  American  Episcopalians  are  found  hard 
at  work.  In  neighbouring  Benguela  other  American 
societies  are  labouring,  and  on  the  Congo  the  emissaries 
of  the  Baptist  Society  have  achieved  great  things, 
geographical  as  well  as  missionary.  The  Livingstone 
Congo  Mission  is  now  in  the  hands  of  the  American 
Baptists,  but  the  work  goes  on.  A circle  of  Chris- 
tianity has  been  drawn  round  the  dark  region  of 
Central  Africa,  and  from  north,  south,  east,  and  west 
radii  of  noble  effort  have  pierced  to  the  very  heart. 

And  then  the  work  of  the  pioneers — the  achievements 
of  those  explorers  who  have  followed  in  Livingstone’s 
path,  and  made  stable  missionary  effort  possible — how 
great  have  these  been  ! 

They  began  with  Stanley,  who  in  1874  landed  in 
Africa  to  clear  up  once  and  for  all  the  doubts  which 
Livingstone  and  his  co-workers  north  of  the  equator 
had  left  unsatisfied.  The  story  of  his  circumnavigation 
of  the  Tanganika  and  Victoria  Nyanza,  of  his  explo- 
ration of  Uganda,  and  the  loyal  service  to  Christianity 
which  he  did  by  persuading  M’tesa  to  accept  a Chris- 
tian mission  ; his  march  through  Karagwe  to  Nyangwe, 
how  he  took  up  the  thread  of  discovery  where 


148 


DAVID  LIVINGSTONE. 


Livingstone  had  dropped  it ; his  marvellous  descent 
of  the  Lualaba,  which  he  proved  to  be  not  the  Nile 
nor  the  Niger,  but  the  Congo, — are  not  these  almost 
fabulous  achievements,  and  the  environment  of  peril 
and  horror  in  which  they  are  set,  known  to  the  world  ? 
In  crossing  Africa  from  the  east  coast  to  the  west,  and 
thereby,  with  Cameron,  reversing  the  order  of  the  first 
great  trans-continental  journey  of  Livingstone,  Stanley 
put  at  rest  a controversy  which  had  raged  with  terrible 
warmth  and  for  many  years  in  scientific  circles.  He 
not  only  proved  that  the  river  which  ran  through 
Livingstone’s  chain  of  lakes  in  the  very  heart  of  the 
continent  was  not  the  Nile,  but  he  found  the  head- 
waters of  the  Nile  itself.  But  he  did  more  than  this; 
for  he  proved  that  for  a thousand  miles  the  Congo 
flowed  without  cataract  or  fall  ; for  a thousand  miles 
it  was  fitted  to  be  a natural  highway,  from  within  a 
short  distance  of  the  coast  to  the  centre  of  Africa — 
a highway  whose  value  is  simply  incalculable.  In  doing 
all  this  he  yet  was  but  beginning ; for  a few  years 
later  he  was  building  up  a mighty  state  on  the  banks 
and  in  the  basin  of  this  river,  by  exploration,  by 
conciliation,  by  commerce.  The  full  measure  of  good 
which  the  Congo  Free  State  may  perform  for  Africa 
none  of  us  can  tell  at  the  present  time ; but  it  may 
safely  be  said  that  if  the  African  is  to  be  redeemed 
and  his  continent  included  in  the  orderly  progress  of 
the  world,  it  will  be  done  by  such  commercial  kingdoms 
as  the  Free  State,  which  introduce  the  benefits  of 
industry  and  commerce  while  they  foster  and  protect 
the  spread  of  a Gospel  proclaiming  the  dignity  of 
labour  and  the  value  of  life. 

And  after  Stanley  comes  a long  array  of  workers 
in  the  same  field.  Joseph  Thomson,  surveying  Eastern 
Africa  with  the  eye  of  the  geologist,  proving  the 
Lukuga  to  be  the  drain  of  the  Tanganika,  and  thereby 
clearing  up  a much  vexed  point,  and  passing  through 


LIVINGSTONE'S  LEGACY. 


149 


unharmed — perhaps  because  not  harming — the  terrible 
Masai.  H.  H.  Johnston  at  work  in  the  district  of 
Kilimanjaro,  exploring  the  fever-haunted  lagoons  of 
the  Niger  Delta,  and  winning  friends  for  himself  and 
the  English  nation  by  a demeanour  at  once  eager  and 
courteous.  Frederick  Stanley  Arnot,  who  of  all  tra- 
vellers has  perhaps  kept  closest  to  the  model  of  Living- 
stone, the  great  master  of  them  all.  He  is  the  man 
who,  depending  on  no  society  for  protection  or  funds, 
has  spent  seven  years  in  Africa,  doing  a great  work. 
His  first  object  has  ever  been  to  preach  the  glad 
tidings ; to  him  the  most  impressive  sight  in  Africa 
is  the  great  field  “white  unto  the  harvest.”  He  has 
crossed  Africa.  In  Katanga  he  has  laboured  with 
conspicuous  success  ; and  he  has  but  lately  returned 
to  his  self-appointed  mission-field,  bearing  presents 
from  England  to  Chitambo  in  acknowledgment — too 
tardy,  alas  ! — of  kindness  shown  to  Livingstone,  and 
subsequently  to  his  followers  after  that  martyr’s  death 
in  his  village. 

And  so  the  roll  runs  on — Cameron,  journeying  across 
Africa  from  Zanzibar  to  Benguela,  surveying  en  route 
those  southern  shores  of  Lake  Tanganika  so  familiar  to 
Livingstone  in  his  last  years,  reaching  Nyangwe,  the 
Doctor’s  most  northerly  point,  and  thence  turning  back, 
when  on  the  very  threshold  of  the  discovery  of  the 
Congo,  to  travel  to  the  west  coast  by  the  slave-paths 
through  Urua  and  Ulunda  ; O’Neill,  making  nearly  a 
score  of  journeys  from  the  Mozambique  coast  into  the 
interior,  discovering  the  Lakes  Amaramba  and  Chiuta, 
reaching  Blantyre  oy  a direct  overland  route,  and  sur- 
veying with  marvellous  accuracy  every  mile  of  his 
wanderings  ; Last,  gathering  in  an  ethnological  harvest 
from  the  countries  of  the  Southern  Masai,  Nguru,  and 
neighbouring  regions,  and,  like  O'Neill,  recording  his 
journeys  with  that  accuracy  which  makes  them  the 
more  valuable ; Selous,  who  has  made  the  basin  of 


150 


DAVID  LIVINGSTONE. 


the  Zambesi  his  special  province,  who  has  trodden 
in  Livingstone’s  footsteps  and  pierced  the  unknown 
countries  on  either  hand  ; Keith  Johnston,  most  ex- 
pert of  geographers,  who  succumbed  to  the  climate 
before  he  had  been  able  to  set  an  indelible  mark  upon 
the  country;  Hore  with  his  brave  wife,  creating  at 
Kavala  Island,  in  the  Lake  Tanganika,  a base  for 
operations  among  the  populous  tribes  surrounding  the 
lake,  investigating  native  character  and  language,  in- 
quiring into  the  natural  science  of  the  region,  acting 
as  an  interpreter  for  the  commercial  needs  of  the 
teeming  millions,  and  proving  to  demonstration  the 
comparative  healthiness  of  the  climate  in  that  locality. 

And  the  list  is  not  exhausted  yet.  Without  reckon- 
ing one  of  the  many  explorers  of  other  nationalities, 
the  names  of  the  fellow-countrymen  of  Livingstone 
follow  on  one  another  without  a break.  Maples,  John- 
son, Stewart,  Grenfell,  Comber,  Wakefield — as  one 
drops  out  of  the  line  another  stepping  forward  to  fill 
his  place.  Working  a thousand  miles  apart  or  side 
by  side,  they  are  all  working  to  but  one  issue  ; for  “ the 
end  of  the  geographical  feat  is  only  the  beginning  of 
the  missionary  enterprise." 


HSAD*UA«TKKS  or  THE  AFRICAN  LAKES  COMPANY,  HANDALA. 


CHAPTER  XII. 

Livingstone’s  legacy  ( 'continued ). 

THE  other  half  of  the  legacy  which  Livingstone 
left  to  his  country  is  the  eradication  of  the 
slave  trade.  With  it  are  coupled  conditions  which 
his  knowledge  and  foresight  led  him  to  lay  down — the 
abolition  of  slavery  by  the  substitution  of  legitimate 
commerce,  and  determined  contention  with  the  influ- 
ences which  foster  the  traffic  in  slaves. 

For  a generation  and  more  Central  Africa  has  been 
under  a reign  of  terror — the  reign  of  the  Arabs.  The 
advance  of  the  Arab  in  Africa  has  steadily  spread 
in  an  ever-widening  path  from  the  starting-point  of 
Zanzibar  until  it  has  covered,  like  a hideous  leprous 
blotch,  the  whole  of  the  equatorial  regions.  The 
advance  has  been  slow,  and  until  late  years  marked 
by  caution.  The  Arab  came  among  the  ignorant 
hordes  who  dwelt  in  comparative  peace,  cultivating 
the  fertile  soil.  He  came  with  open  hand,  exchanged 
his  calicoes  and  beads  and  wire  for  the  ivory  of  the 
elephant,  and  generally  paid  his  way. 


DAVID  LIVINGSTONE. 


1§- 

Gradually,  however,  as  his  strength  grew  and  he 
learnt  more  of  the  childish  nature  of  the  people  he 
went  amongst,  his  cunning  suggested  another  policy. 
He  mixed  in  native  politics,  stirred  up  one  tribe 
against  the  other,  and  took  their  part  in  war.  For 
this  help  he  demanded  payment — payment  like  Shy- 
lock,  in  his  “ pound  of  flesh.”  This  he  received.  What 
did  the  easy-going  natives  want  with  their  captives 
in  war  ? They  had  no  idea  of  employing  labour  on 
their  fields — the  fields  themselves  required  no  more 
than  the  wives  of  the  owners  gave.  Stronger  and 
stronger  grew  the  invader.  He  thought  no  longer  of 
paying  his  way,  but  marched  boastfully  through  the 
country  at  the  head  of  his  armed  ruffians,  and  burnt 
here,  robbed  there,  and  captured  everywhere.  The 
conquest  was  complete.  The  Arab  reign  of  terror  had 
arrived. 

It  was  the  beginning  of  this  final  stage  which 
Livingstone  witnessed  at  Nyangwe,  when  over  three 
hundred  wretched  natives,  men,  women,  and  children, 
were  shot  down  with  wanton  cruelty.  He  wrote  home 
about  this  atrocity,  and  roused  public  opinion  in  no 
common  degree.  Investigations  on  the  coast  gave  an 
inkling  of  what  was  proceeding  in  the  interior.  It  was 
estimated  that  from  the  Arab  port  of  Kilwa,  alone, 
more  than  twenty  thousand  slaves  were  annually 
exported.  But  Livingstone  had  said  that  for  every 
slave  that  arrived  at  the  coast  two  had  died  or  been 
slaughtered  in  the  interior.  The  outcome  of  his  efforts 
was  that  British  men-of-war  blockaded  the  east  coast, 
and  largely  checked  the  export  of  slaves.  And  yet 
this  was  of  scant  avail ; the  mouth  of  the  sewer  was 
indeed  closed,  but  the  foul  stream  was  only  diverted, 
to  overflow  the  land  and  circulate  its  fatal  poison. 
The  action  of  the  slave  trade  oscillated  to  and  fro, 
from  east  to  west,  and  north  to  south.  The  greed  of 
the  natives  was  appealed  to,  and  men  sold  the  helpless 


LIVINGSTONE’S  LEGACY. 


*53 


or  the  young  of  their  own  tribe — relatives  even  sold 
each  other.  Habit  is  second  nature,  and  custom  led 
these  wretched  people  to  regard  slavery  as  natural. 
With  fearful  loss  of  life,  the  population  of  one  district 
was  deported  to  another,  and  that  again  elsewhere,  and 
so  on  ad  infinitum  as  long  as  gain  could  be  acquired. 

The  roots  of  the  trade  had  now  struck  deep.  The 
simple,  almost  patriarchal,  life  of  the  agricultural  races 
ceased  to  exist.  Like  the  swoop  of  the  fish-eagle  the 
Arab  came  down  upon  the  scattered  villages  and  burnt 
and  captured,  and  the  weak  tribes  lived  in  terror  while 
the  strong  prepared  for  the  trader  by  raiding  among  the 
weak.  One  village  became  suspicious  of  the  other,  and 
the  dwellings  of  the  people  retreated  more  and  more  to 
the  gloom  of  the  forest  or  the  islands  of  the  lake.  In 
some  districts  the  evil  was  so  accentuated  that  three 
natives  could  not  be  sent  on  a message  “ in  case  two 
should  combine  and  sell  the  third  before  they  returned  !” 

And  the  woe  of  it — the  desolation  ! A year  or  so  ago 
the  region  around  the  south  end  of  Tanganika  teemed 
with  life  and  simple  industry.  To-day  the  march  of  the 
Arab  can  be  followed  by  the  charred  embers  which 
mark  the  villages,  and  the  skeletons  by  the  roadside 
which  are  all  that  is  left  of  the  people.  Wissman,  when 
descending  the  Kasai  and  travelling  among  the  Basonge, 
passed  through  enormous  villages — or  rather  towns — 
six  and  seven  miles  in  length,  whose  dense  population 
cultivated  the  land  for  many  miles  around.  A year 
or  so  after  he  came  to  the  same  places — the  fields 
were  sprouting  jungles,  the  houses  mere  heaps  of  ash 
and  tinder.  When  Livingstone  and  Stanley  travelled 
through  Manyuema  nothing  struck  them  more  than 
the  hordes  of  inhabitants.  To-day  Manyuema  is  a 
wilderness.  From  Nyangwe  to  Stanley  Falls,  Tippu 
Tip  and  men  of  his  calibre  have  devastated  vast  tracts 
of  country,  and  the  whole  region  lying  west  and  south 
of  Lakes  Moero  and  Bangweolo  is  depopulated.  The 


154 


DAVID  LIVINGSTONK. 


Kasai  on  the  west  and  the  hilly  country  of  the  Mas*i 
on  the  east,  from  the  head  waters  of  the  Koango  to  the 
lower  waters  of  the  Rovuma,  and  from  the  Manganja, 
1 50  south  of  the  equator,  to  the  Soudanese  of  Kor- 
dofan,  1 50  north  of  it,  Africa  is  harassed  by  these  fiends 
in  human  form. 

The  slave  trade  would  seem  to  arouse  and  feed  the 
worst  passions.  The  most  gratuitous  villainy  accom- 
panies it,  and  by  sheer  wanton  cruelty  thousands  of 
lives  are  sacrificed.  About  two  years  ago  “ the  Arabs 
at  the  north  end  of  Lake  Nyassa,  after  destroying  four- 
teen villages  with  many  of  their  inhabitants,  pursued  the 
population  of  one  village  into  a patch  of  tall  dry  grass, 
set  it  on  fire,  surrounded  it,  and  slew  with  the  bullet 
and  the  spear  those  who  crawled  out  from  the  more 
merciful  flames.”  This  was  done  because  the  people 
had  given  them  trouble  or  had  tried  to  escape.  Rather 
than  give  the  wretched  people  a chance  of  life,  the 
men  and  women  who  from  utter  weakness  are  unable 
to  march  with  the  gang  are  tied  tightly  to  a wayside 
tree  and  left  to  die  of  starvation.  If  any  slaves  escape, 
the  survivors  are  made  to  feel  the  anger  of  their  captors. 
The  Arabs  think  nothing  of  hacking  to  death  some  of 
the  weaklings  in  their  caravan.  If  a young  mother  is 
seen  staggering  under  her  load,  her  babe  is  torn  from 
her  and  Hung  into  the  grass  by  the  track,  there  to  be 
devoured  by  the  hyaenas  or  pecked  to  death  by  the  birds 
of  prey. 

The  head  of  the  Blantyre  Mission,  the  Rev.  D.  C. 
Scott,  is  quoted  to  the  following  effect  by  Mr.  James 
Stevenson,  of  the  African  Lakes  Company,  in  his 
stirring  little  pamphlet  on  the  subject  of  Arab  villainy 
and  Portuguese  indifference  : — 

“The  Arab  slave  trade  is  making  frightful  progress. 
Caravans  of  Arabs  are  pouring  in — for  trade  ? No  ! 
Hardly  a bale  of  cloth  goes  up  country  from  the  east 
coast ; it  is  guns  and  powder,  not  even  spirits.  It  is 


LIVINGSTONE’S  LEGACY 


155 


simply  slaughter,  and  slaughter  of  thousands,  and  the 
desolation  of  the  fairest  lands — lands  where  the  natives 
were  at  peace,  where  industry  and  thrift  and  happiness 
ruled  ; where  to  get  through  one  village  you  might 
start  in  the  early  morning  and  not  pass  out  of  it  till  the 
sun  was  half-way  down,  journeying  straight  on  ; and 
these  are  now  desolate.  Fresh  routes  are  opening 
up  to  them,  and  the  desolation  is  spreading.  It  is 
not  slave  trade ; it  is  ruthless  massacre  of  the  most 
barbarous  type.” 

“ Ruthless  massacre !”  Well  may  the  African  in  his 
anguish  say — so  often  that  it  has  become  a proverb — 
1 God  made  the  whites  and  God  made  the  blacks,  but 
the  devil  made  the  Arabs.” 

What  does  Stanley — a cool,  level-headed  man,  not 
likely  to  be  led  away  by  sentiment,  and  of  unparalleled 
experience  in  Africa — say  on  the  subject  ? This  : — 

“ The  slave  traders  admit  they  have  only  2,300  cap- 
tives in  this  fold,  yet  they  have  raided  through  the 
length  and  breadth  of  a country  larger  than  Ireland, 
bringing  fire  and  spreading  carnage  with  lead  and  iron. 
Both  banks  of  the  river  show  that  1 1 8 villages  and 
43  districts  have  been  devastated,  out  of  which  is  only 
educed  this  scanty  profit  of  2,300  females  and  children 
and  about  2,000  tusks  of  ivory.  The  spears,  swords, 
bows,  and  the  quivers  of  arrows  show  that  many  adults 
have  fallen.  Given  that  1 1 8 villages  were  peopled 
only  by  1,000  each,  we  have  only  a profit  of  2 per  cent., 
and  by  the  time  all  these  captives  have  been  subjected 
to  the  accidents  of  the  river  voyage  to  Kirundu  and 
Nyangwe,  of  camp  life  and  its  harsh  miseries,  to  the 
havoc  of  small-pox,  and  the  pests  which  miseries  breed, 
there  will  only  remain  a scant  I per  cent,  upon  the 
bloody  venture.” 

Cardinal  Lavigerie,  with  his  estimate  of  two  million 
massacred  for  the  four  hundred  thousand  annually 
brought  to  the  coast,  was  well  within  the  mark.  A 


156 


DAVID  LIVINGSTONE. 


single  sentence  from  one  of  his  speeches  will  reveal  to 
us  the  fate  of  some  of  these  two  million : “ When 
caught,  the  unmarketable  ones  are  either  killed  or  left 
to  die  of  hunger ; the  women  are  usually  violated  and 
then  burnt.” 

It  would  almost  seem  that  Livingstone’s  idea  of  sub- 
stituting legitimate  commerce  for  the  trade  in  slaves  is 
now  out  of  date  and  powerless  to  stem  the  flood.  As 
regards  isolated  endeavours  to  attain  this  end,  this  may 
be  so  ; but  there  can  be  no  doubt  that  organized  com- 
merce, the  creation  of  great  commercial  states,  or  the 
development  of  those  which  already  exist,  may  hope 
with  some  assurance  of  success  to  combat  the  evil. 

A good  deal  has  been  done  on  these  lines.  ■ The 
Congo  Free  State  has  advanced  civilization  in  no  small 
degree  within  its  sphere  of  influence.  The  savage 
tribes  have  been  shown  the  benefits  of  peace  and  trade, 
and  the  advantages  to  be  reaped  from  contact  with  the 
civilized  world.  Commerce  has  been  made  possible  by 
the  opening  up  of  rivers  and  roads,  by  the  founding  of 
stations  and  cultivation  of  soil,  by  consistent  conciliatory 
measures  and  the  establishment  of  a general  security. 
Above  all,  the  natives  dwelling  within  a large  portion 
of  the  state  have  been  protected  from  the  horrors  of 
'he  slave  trade.  The  British  East  Africa  Company  are 
attempting  to  do  something  of  the  same  kind  between 
the  east  coast  and  the  Victoria  Nyanza,  and  the  Ger- 
mans are  showing  the  world  how  not  to  do  it  between 
Zanzibar  and  Unyam wezi. 

The  pluckiest  and  perhaps  the  most  successful  effort 
to  introduce  commerce  of  a legitimate  order  into  Africa 
has  been  made  by  the  African  Lakes  Company.  This 
is  no  mere  commercial  enterprise,  for  its  prime  object 
is  philanthropic — to  oust  the  slave  trade  in  Nyassaland 
by  the  introduction  of  commerce.  It  started  opera- 
tions about  ten  years  ago,  and  has  gradually  widened 
and  lengthened  its  field  ever  since.  With  several 


LIVINGSTONE’S  LEGACY. 


*57 

steamers  on  Nyassa  and  the  Shir<f,  and  over  a dozen 
trading  stations  along  the  route,  the  company  has  pro- 
vided plenty  of  scope  for  native  energy.  But  it  has 
done  more.  The  famous  “ Stevenson  Road,”  from  the 
head  of  Lake  Nyassa  to  the  southernmost  point  of  the 
Tanganika,  has  been  constructed  entirely  by  natives 
under  the  engineering  direction  of  the  late  Mr.  James 
Stewart.  The  natives  proved  themselves  very  well 
able  to  work,  keeping  to  regular  labour  hours,  and 
handling  their  pick-axes,  crowbars,  and  spades  with 
something  like  European  skill.  A station  has  been 
erected  on  the  road  and  one  on  the  Tanganika,  and  the 
chain  of  communication  from  the  sea  completed.  In 
addition  to  this,  native  produce  is  bought  in  large 
quantities,  and  the  people  are  encouraged  to  keep  on 
increasing  the  quantity.  Many  experiments  have  been 
made  with  seeds  not  indigenous  to  the  country ; and,  in 
short,  whatever  common  sense  has  suggested  should  be 
done  has  been  done. 

Subsidiary  to  this  company,  but  actuated  by  its  en- 
lightened motives,  are  the  extensive  coffee  and  sugar 
plantations  at  Zomba,  belonging  to  two  brothers  named 
Buchanan,  which  rival  in  extent  and  fertility  those  of 
the  Moirs,  the  managers  of  the  Lakes  Company  at 
Mandala.  A large  native  population  is  already  depen- 
dent on  these  industries.  Before  long,  there  can  be 
little  doubt  that  the  coffee  trade  of  the  Shire  highlands 
will  prove  a highly  remunerative  as  well  as  salutary 
industry.  As  a reward  to  these  brave  pioneers,  and  for 
the  sake  of  the  harassed  native,  it  is  to  be  hoped  that 
such  will  prove  to  be  the  case. 

The  difficulty,  however,  remains : How  can  com- 

merce be  given  a fair  chance  and  the  slave  trade  a 
set-back  ? Things  have  come  to  such  a pass,  that  but 
one  suggestion  seems  feasible.  A powerful  company, 
or  agglomeration  of  companies,  should  be  formed  to 
control  British  commercial  interests  from  the  Shird  to 


158 


DAVID  LIVINGSTONE. 


the  head  of  the  Tanganika.  Along  the  lakes  its  police 
steamers  should  ply,  and  on  the  elevated  spurs  and  hills 
in  this  lake  region  bodies  of  well-drilled  native  police 
should  be  held  in  reserve  for  any  contingency.  The 
points  where  the  caravan  routes  intersect  this  long 
north-and-south  line  of  water  communication  should  be 
regarded  as  points  of  resistance,  and  measures  taken 
accordingly.  The  whole  of  the  east  coast  should  again 
be  jealously  watched  by  gunboats,  and  such  coigns  of 
vantage  as  Zanzibar,  Kilwa,  and  the  like,  should,  by 
treaty,  be  declared  free  ports  in  the  sense  that  no  slave 
sfiould  be  known  within  their  limits.  Ivory  “rings” 
and  “corners”  might  well  be  created  in  order  to  de- 
prive the  Arab  of  a great  source  of  profit,  and  so  starve 
him  out. 

The  chief  influence  against  such  a settlement,  or,  in- 
deed, any  settlement  of  the  question  as  regards  Nyassa- 
land  and  its  more  immediate  districts,  is  the  Portuguese 
indifference  to  all  enterprise ; and,  first  and  foremost, 
all  English  enterprise.  Portugal  has  neither  men,  nor 
money,  nor  commercial  genius  to  develop  one-quarter 
of  the  country  she  claims  ; but  she  is  not,  on  account 
of  that,  any  more  likely  to  tolerate  the  capping  of  the 
edifice  which  British  perseverance  has  reared  out  of 
blank  savagery.  Portugal,  in  fact,  has  neither  a great 
colonial  policy  nor  a statesman  with  an  altruistic  idea. 
Her  attitude  on  the  Mozambique  coast  and  the  Zambesi 
has  resembled  that  of  a certain  dog  that  once  made 
himself  disagreeable  in  a manger. 

The  Congo  has  been  declared  free,  and  there  is  no 
reason  against — indeed,  every  reason  for — the  Zambesi 
being  also  opened  to  the  commerce  of  the  world.  The 
peculiar  circumstances  which  make  up  the  history  of 
Portuguese  settlement  upon  the  banks  of  this  river 
prevent  the  substantiation,  if  they  do  not  prevent  the 
making,  of  the  Portuguese  claim  for  its  appropriation. 
Moreover,  the  Zambesi  is  a highway,  a natural  highway, 


LIVINGSTONE'S  LEGACY. 


159 


to  regions  exploited  and  occupied  by  the  English,  to 
vast  countries  which  are  being  solely  developed  by 
English  exertion  and  English  expenditure.  By  the 
canons  of  that  most  impartial  of  tests — International 
Law — Portugal  has  no  legal  right  to  bar  free  access 
or  commerce  to  those  regions  and  peoples  beyond  her 
immediate  province,  even  though  that  province  lie  in 
the  direct  track ; and  the  consensus  of  the  civilized 
world  is  in  harmony  with  legal  principle  when  it 
withholds  the  moral  support  of  its  approbation.  The 
claim  of  supremacy  which  is  made  by  the  Portuguese 
rests  historically  on  some  decree  of  Pope  Alexander  VI. 
— that  Borgia  of  the  Borgias  ; but  practically  on  her 
possession  of  Mozambique  on  the  east  coast  and 
Angola  on  the  west  coast.  The  great  breadth  of 
Africa  lying  between  these  extremities  is  therefore 
usurped  by  Portugal — on  paper.  This  point  must  not 
be  overlooked  ; for  in  reality,  and  in  spite  of  centuries 
of  nominal  control  on  both  coasts,  the  Portuguese  have 
never  developed  the  resources  of  their  own  province, 
benefited  or  even  influenced  the  natives  of  the  district 
adjoining  that  province,  nor  colonized  or  in  any  way 
exploited  the  enormous  zone  of  country  beyond.  For 
so  shadowy  a claim  as  this,  that  great  commercial  and 
political  highway  which  runs  from  the  Zambesi  delta  up 
the  Shire,  throughout  the  length  of  Nyassa  and  thence, 
via  the  Stevenson  Road,  to  Tanganika,  and  on  from 
there,  by  porterage,  to  the  Congo  and  its  Free  State, 
must  not  be  sealed  to  international  and  legitimate 
commerce.  To  the  many  commercial  and  civilizing 
influences  which  are  rapidly  converging  on  the  heart  of 
Africa,  and  striving  for  the  suppression  of  that  slave 
trade  which  is  its  heart-disease,  Portugal  cannot  be 
allowed  to  give  their  quietus. 

It  should  be  remembered  that  Britain  claims  “a  fair 
field  and  no  favour  ’’  for  all  nations,  and  not  merely  for 
herself ; that  this  is  her  attitude  in  spite  of  the  fact  that 


l6o 


DAVID  LIVINGSTONE. 


she  has  been  almost  alone  in  developing  these  portions 
of  Africa  and  fighting  against  the  influence  of  the  Arab 
slave  trader. 

Portugal  was  first  on  the  Zambesi,  that  is  true ; but 
Livingstone  showed  most  conclusively  that  she  had 
never  utilized  her  position  by  Christianizing  the  natives, 
or  in  any  way  opening  up  the  country  ; and,  indeed, 
that  she  was  there  on  sufferance.  She  fostered  the 
slave  trade  in  those  days  by  conniving  at  its  indulgence  ; 
to-day  she  fosters  it  by  holding  back  those  who  would 
suppress  it.  It  was  Livingstone  who  led  the  way  from 
Loanda  to  Quilimane  ; Livingstone  who  first  ascended 
the  Shire,  discovered  Lakes  Shirwa  and  Nyassa,  and 
planted  the  first  steamers  on  the  Zambesi.  It  was 
British  money  that  made  the  roads  past  the  Murchison 
Cataracts,  and  from  Nyassa  to  Tanganika;  that  esta- 
blished regular  communication  from  the  Nyassa  to  the 
Indian  Ocean.  British  energy  and  pluck  have  striven 
for  thirty  years  against  the  forces  of  barbarism  and  the 
somnolence  of  an  effete  power;  those  were  British  lives 
which  are  laid  in  that  long  series  of  graves  from  the 
Zambesi  to  the  Nyassa  ; and  a British  sense  of  justice 
demands  that  Portugal  should  give  every  facility  to  the 
chivalrous  attack  on  the  slave  trade  which,  with  fearful 
odds  against  them,  a mere  handful  of  noble-hearted 
Britons  are  making,  mindful  of  that  saintly  hero  who 
wrote  down  his  life-long  prayer,  exactly  a year  before 
his  death,  in  these  words  : — 

“All  I can  add  in  my  loneliness  is,  may  Heaven’s 
rich  blessing  come  down  on  every  one — American, 
English,  or  Turk — who  will  help  to  heal  this  open  sore 
of  the  world  1 ” 


